John F.W. Herschel – A Treatise on Astronomy – 1851

A finely-bound 1851 edition of Herschel’s Astronomy, an important 19th-century work on the subject.

John Frederick William Herschel (1792-1871) was a British scientist, mathematician and inventor who became a prominent astronomer in the 1820s and 1830s. He was one of the founders of the Royal Astronomical Society in London, and named numerous moons of Saturn and Uranus.

He was also a pioneering photographer, inventing what later became known as blueprints, and wrote widely on various scientific and academic subjects.

The text of his Treatise first appeared in the larger Dionysius Lardner encyclopedia, before being published as a single volume in 1833. It covers key areas including astronomical measurement and instrumentation, the movement of celestial bodies, gravity, orbits and more.

This is an 1851 hardback edition by Longman in London. Bound in full brown calf with embossed borders. Decorative spine with raised bands, and two black compartments with gilt lettering. Marbled edges and endpapers.

In very good condition indeed. No writing or markings inside. A few minor scratches and marks to the front and rear boards, mild rubbing to the spine. 422 pages. 17cm x 11cm.