LOWELL, Percival "Mars as the Abode of Life" [Macmillan, 1908] 1st Edition

"Mars as the Abode of Life" by Percival Lowell [Macmillan, 1908]. Illustrated on 8 full page plates and 65 in-text cuts. xix + 288pp + 2 ads. Red cloth with gilt titling. Mild rubbing at head/tail of spine cloth. Minimal wear internally as well. Secure binding. Very Good and highly collected. 

Percival Lowell was a writer and astronomer, known for his theory that there were canals, and therefore life, on Mars. Though hotly disputed by scientific colleagues, Lowell’s contention laid the groundwork for the first Mars SETI effort of 1924 which in turn dovetailed with growing popular interest in Robert Goddard’s theories on the possibilities of interplanetary travel by rocket. He also founded the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and formed the beginning of the effort that led to the discovery of Pluto 14 years after his death.