Editor’s note: The following abridgment of Dorothy Wordsworth’s “Excursion up Scawfell Pike” became the earliest version to appear in print when her brother included it in the 1822 third edition of his Guide to the Lakes. William needed fresh material to expand what had previously been a supplementary essay into a stand-alone guidebook.
Editor’s Note: Two letters Dorothy sent to Lady Margaret Beaumont in November 1805 make for valuable supplements to her Ullswater account.
May 14 1800 [Wednesday].
Wm & John
Figure 1. Inscription by William Wordsworth, signed “Town End, Grasmere, May 11th 1808”—his preface to DCMS 64. (Courtesy: The Wordsworth Trust)
This is a satirical illustration of a ballet dancer with a hot air balloon attached to himself which, according to Mayhew, would help the dancer “achieve greater heights.” The facing page exhibits the way a personal balloon might be useful in during accidents.
This image highlights the efforts of early experimenters to find ways to develop balloons that could be steered through the air as part of a concerted effort to demonstrate the usefulness of balloons. It offered readers a glimpse of new ideas about balloon navigation using a rudder and paddle-wheels.
This book and image are part of Cavallo's work on the study of air and it properties. This image offered readers a chance to understand the technical side of balloon flights by providing a detailed account of how they were inflated.
