WISE, John (1808-1879). A System of Aeronautics, Comprehending its Earliest Inventions, and Modern Practice and Art... In Three Parts. Philadelphia: Joseph A. Speel, 1850. 8vo (230 x 144 mm). Engraved frontispiece portrait, 12 lithographed plates; errata tipped in. (Minor marginal browning, some light foxing.) Publisher's embossed black cloth gilt (hinges tender, spine ends slightly frayed). FIRST EDITION of Wise's standard aeronautical treatise written for the layperson to promote the art of aerial navigation. Wise was one of America's earliest aeronauts, and he believed this work could popularize aerial transportation, particularly over rail and steam transport popular in the day. His United States long-distance ballooning record of 804 miles in 1859 lasted until 1900. On September 19, 1879, while attempting a voyage from St. Louis, his balloon crashed into Lake Michigan just off Chicago and he died.