The Herschels and Modern Astronomy
by Clerke, Agnes M
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Moray, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Macmillan & Co., 1895. Octavo. Original green cloth, titles to spine and upper board gilt. Portrait frontispiece and 2 plates. Tiny bump to the edge of the upper board, very lightly rubbed at the tips, what may be a tiny spot of dampstain at the extreme corner of the lower board, light spotting to the edges of the text blocks and occasionally the contents. Very good condition, the cloth fresh. First edition of this biographical work on the astronomers William, Caroline, and John Herschel by one of the "great popularisers of science of the Victorian period" (Ogilvie, Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science, p. 270). Copies of The Herschels and Modern Astronomy are uncommon on the market, particularly in such a nice example of the publisher's binding. Agnes Mary Clerke was taught at home by her scholarly parents, and "by the age of eleven she had mastered Herschel's Outlines of Astronomy" (Ogilvie, p. 270). Settling in London in 1877, she pursued a career as a writer, producing a remarkable body of work. Clerke "possessed the rare ability to communicate clearly the complexities of scientific theory to a popular audience, while synthesising masses of astronomical information into a coherent whole for professional scientists, who had become so specialised that they could not see the larger connection between their work and other current discoveries in astronomy" (Ogilvie p. 270). Though she never held a position at a university or observatory, Clerke gained "partial admission" to the male-dominated word of astronomy. She had an extensive correspondence with other astronomers, was awarded the Actonian Prize by the Royal Institution, and in 1903 was elected an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Alembic Rare Books (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 799
- Title
- The Herschels and Modern Astronomy
- Author
- Clerke, Agnes M
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Macmillan & Co.
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1895
- Keywords
- Astronomy|Planets|Solar System|History & Philosophy of Science|Women in Science|Georgian Era
Terms of Sale
Alembic Rare Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Alembic Rare Books
Biblio member since 2018
Moray
About Alembic Rare Books
We specialise in rare science books dating from the late Middle Ages to the 20th century, including first editions, signed copies, manuscripts, objects, and ephemera. We have particular expertise in natural history, genetics and evolution, anatomy, nuclear physics and the Manhattan Project, early computing, and women in science. We also carry books related to women's history and literature.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...