Flamsteed, John

First edition, folio (534 x 381mm.), engraved portrait frontispiece by G. Vertue after T. Gibson, engraved title vignette and head-piece by L. du Guernier after I.B. Catenaro, engraved initial and tail-piece, list of subscribers, 27 double-page engraved celestial charts by James Mynde and Abraham Sharp, including the celestial hemispheres, eighteenth-century mottled calf, some soiling and staining, last 2 charts split at folds, a few repaired tears at lower fold, rebacked retaining original spine, binding worn

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

When the Greenwich observatory was set up in 1675 Flamsteed was put in charge as England's first Astronomer Royal. This work was posthumously completed by Flamsteed's widow, with the help of his two assistants, James Hodgson and Joseph Crosthwait. The reason for this was his conflict with another scientist, Isaac Newton, the President of the Royal Society at the time. Flamsteed refused to publish work that had been commissioned by the king, and in 1712 Newton and Edmond Halley published a preliminary version of Flamsteed's Historia coelestis Britannica without crediting the author. Flamsteed denounced it and destroyed as many copies as he could. By the time the celestial atlas designed to accompany the Historia appeared in 1729 Flamsteed had been dead for ten years.