Mendeleev, D. [On the Resistance of Liquids and on Aeronautics]. O Soprotivlenii Zhidkostei i o Vozdukhoplavanii.

Issue 1 [and only].

S.-Peterburg, Tip. V. Demakova, 1880.
8vo, [2], 160, 80 pp., 12 l.ill.

In contemporary owner boards. Original printed wrappers preserved.
In good condition, lightly rubbed, foxing and some soiling to wrappers, title cut to upper edge, bookstore stamp to back endpaper.

The only edition of this Mendeleev's work. This copy preserves the original wrappers with the author's preface printed on them - an uncommon feature rarely found on the market. 

This seminal work by the legendary scientist Dmitri Mendeleev (1834-1907) is a cornerstone of aeronautics and holds a pivotal place in the history of aviation. It also served as the foundation for studies conducted by key figures in modern astronautics, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and Nikolay Zhukovsky.
In the preface, Mendeleev notes that his interest in this field began with his research on rarefied gases and the upper atmosphere, which led him to explore meteorology in the higher air layers and, eventually, aeronautics. Eager to test his law of temperature change with atmospheric pressure using a specialized balloon with a hermetically sealed gondola, Mendeleev translated several books, hoping to fund his experiments through their sales. Unfortunately, this plan did not succeed. In 1878, while undergoing treatment in southern Europe, Mendeleev received instructions from the naval and military ministries to gather information on the state of aeronautics. This request was driven by the Russo-Turkish War, which had prompted numerous projects aimed at the military use of aeronautics, particularly in controlled flight.
In this work, through his analyses and critiques of various foreign scientists, Mendeleev was the first to demonstrate the importance of liquid and gas friction on the surfaces of bodies they flow around. He was at least three decades ahead of what Ludwig Prandtl would later write about.
Thе work is presented in a single issue, and Mendeleev noted that it was incomplete due to a lack of 'personal funds (which had been spent on family matters) and the failure to receive state funding'.
In 1907, Zhukovsky, a founding father of modern aero- and hydrodynamics, praised Mendeleev's work, referring to it as 'Mendeleev's fundamental monograph on fluid resistance, which can still serve as a basic guide for those involved in shipbuilding, aeronautics, or ballistics'.

We couldn’t trace any copy of this edition via OCLC.