An incredible piece of early aircraft design will auction alongside 500 examples of rare Colonial and US history books and manuscripts, sold by PBA Galleries on January 21.

Treatise Upon the Art of Flying ($4k-6k)

Walker's Treatise Upon the Art of Flying is a 67-page book published in 1810.

The book's aim was to study the possibility of mechanical flight, based on the natural principles by which birds fly.

What makes this first edition particularly fascinating are author Thomas Walker's "plans for making a flying car with wings, in which a man may sit..."

"By working a small lever [he can] cause himself to ascend and soar through the air."

Better still, the book includes a foldout illustration of Walker's proposed bird-like flying machine.

This fascinating work will auction with an estimate of $4,000-6000.

The sale will also include a 17^th century first edition of Historia Conquista de Mexico by Antonio de Solis, the Spanish historian, dramatist, statesman and King Philip VI's private secretary (estimated at $4,000-6,000).

It'll never work... Thomas Walker's 19th century plans for a 'flying car'

Also selling is a 17^th century map which made Europeans aware of the early settlement of America: Willem Blaeu's reissue of Jodocus Hondius Jr's map of Virginia ($3,000-5,000).

The auction includes live bidding. For more information, see the Live Auctioneers website.

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Images: Live Auctioneers