Herschel, William, and John Herschel | A collection of works by two famed scientists

Herschel, William, and John William Herschel 

A collection of numerous works by Sir William Herschel and his son, John William Herschel, 1781-1847

A remarkable collection of first edition extracts from two members of the Herschel family.

Renowned for their contributions to astronomy, two generations of the Herschels looked to the skies and changed how we understand the heavens. From William Herschel's discovery of the planet Uranus—a major turning point in his career, to John Herschel's cataloguing of thousands of stars in his trip to the Southern Hemisphere, the present lot offers a sixty-six year span of significant scientific achievements.

Highlights of this collection include:

Herschel, William. "Account of a Comet" and "Astronomical Observations on the rotation of the planets round their Axes" [in:] Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Volume 71 (1781)

Herschel, William. "Account of the discovery of a sixth and seventh satellite of the planet Saturn." Extracted from Philosophical Transactions, (1790)

Herschel, William. "On the power of penetrating into space by telescopes". Extracted from Philosophical Transactions (1800)

Herschel, John Frederick William. Results of Astronomical Observations made at Cape of Good Hope. London: Smith, Elder, and Co.,1847

4tos. In various bindings, foxing and toning throughout. Two works with text blocks completely detached. 

Detailed listing upon request. Sold as a group, not subject to return.

REFERENCES

DSB VI, 322-7.

PROVENANCE

Sold at Sotheby's, 11 December 1993, lot 701.