Inscribed by the Author. ESNAULT-PELTERIE, ROBERT (1881-1957). L'Exploration par fusées de la très haute atmosphère et la possibilité des voyages interplanétaires. Paris: Au Siège de la Société Astronomique de France, 1928. [WITH:] Résumé d'études scientifiques sur l'exploration par fusées de la très haute atmosphère et la possibilité des voyages interplanétaires. Contained within: Bulletin de la Société Philomathique de Paris, Série X, Tome XVII. Paris: Société Philomathique, 1928. Two distinct 1928 formats, large 8vo (257 x 170mm). The Standalone Book Edition: Signed and inscribed by the author on the first leaf of the introduction: 'Hommage de R. Esnault-Pelterie.' Entirely uncut and untrimmed in the original reddish-brown printed paper wrappers. The Institutional Journal Edition: The complete issue of the Bulletin de la Société Philomathique de Paris, featuring Esnault-Pelterie's core technical summary text on pages 46-51. Original blue-green printed paper wrappers. Accompanied by TWO DUPLICATE COPIES of the rare ephemeral prospectus insert: Société Astronomique de France: Prix International d'Astronautique (Prix REP-Hirsch) Règlement, [4 pp. each]. Both volumes and ephemera internally fresh and well-preserved. Housed together in a single custom cloth-covered collector's box. THE SCARCE TRILOGY GENESIS: A COMPLETE SUITE OF ESNAULT-PELTERIE'S FIRST ASTRONAUTICAL PUBLICATIONS, SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR AND HOUSED IN A SINGLE ARCHIVAL CUSTOM BOX. FIRST EDITIONS OF THE AUTHOR'S first PUBLICATIONS ON SPACE TRAVEL, PRESENTED IN BOTH HISTORIC DISSEMINATION FORMATS. This lot unites the highly coveted separate standalone monograph text (distributed directly by the author to select peers) alongside the institutional bulletin text issued to the French scientific establishment at the Sorbonne. Both texts capture the foundational mathematics of modern aerospace engineering. Working entirely independently of contemporary pioneers Robert H. Goddard and Hermann Oberth, Esnault-Pelterie used these 1928 printings to calculate the precise parameters necessary for a vehicle to break free of Earth's gravity, famously detailing the world's first scientifically sound proposal for atomic/nuclear rocket propulsion to make deep interplanetary spaceflight viable. The lot is further elevated by the inclusion of two copies of the ephemeral prospectus for the Prix REP-Hirsch. Established by Esnault-Pelterie and banker André-Louis Hirsch, this represented the world's very first international award dedicated to the advancements of 'intersidereal navigation,' famously catapulting Hermann Oberth into global prominence when he won the inaugural prize the following year. An extraordinary archive mapping the literal birth of structural and organizational astronautics in Europe, in original wrappers and complete with duplicate ephemera. Ciancone 65; Humphries, Rockets and Guided Missiles 4; Interlibrum 270 #114; Ley, Rockets, Missiles, and Space Travel (1957), p. 505; Norman 714. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing