Your oldest Astronomy book.

[Grump Martian]

Just flicking through some books in my astronomy collection. I have several from the1970's, 1950's & the 1800's. The oldest is Sun,Moon and Stars by Agnes Giberne,from 1884. It's fun reading through these and looking at the colour plates.

I think that there must be older astronomy books.

I am still looking to see if there is a picture of the man in a chair being taken into space by several swans. I have seen it in books so often in the past. But can't seem to find it at the moment. It was an ancient vision of how we could travel to the moon.

I have posted a picture of the book and some of it's wonderful picture plates.

Edited April 4 by Grump Martian
Pictures added.

[lunator]

My oldest book is "Half Hours with the stars" by RA Proctor. 3rd edition 1871. 

Cheers

Ian

[dweller25]

Not in the same league as above but my oldest astro book is “Astronomy with Binoculars”, James Muirden, 1976.

Edited April 5 by dweller25

[Grump Martian]

I like the author. James Muirden wrote a book on telescope making from the same era. I have been looking for a copy for years.

Edited April 5 by Grump Martian

[Saganite]

Not particularly early publications,  The Mysterious Universe being 1931 , but I have had these three since the early 1960's when my interest in Astronomy began.

[jjohnson3803]

"Recreations in Astronomy",  Henry White Warren, DD., 1879.

 

[Nakedgun]

~

My adult pursuit of this hobby began just a quarter-century ago, so I haven't been collecting astro-books very long. 

The artwork of Chesley Bonestell prompted me to get a copy of "The Conquest Of Space" written by Willy Ley.

My copy published by Readers Union with Sidgwick And Jackson, London, 1952.

 

Edit: I just found on my bookshelf a 1935 2nd edition of "A Guide To The Constellations" by Barton and Barton, autographed by Samuel G. Barton 14 NOV 35, to Sarah Lippincott of Germantown, Pennsylvania, who purchased it a month earlier for $25.

 

 

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Edited April 5 by Nakedgun

[Nyctimene]

Jean-Henri Fabre's book on astronomy from 1872, in the German translation by astronomer Graff 1918. Fabre was a famous entomologist, one of the beginners of behavioural research. He earned his living as a teacher in southern France and had to care for seven children, so he wrote several didactic handbooks, to improve his financial situation, including the astronomy book. The "Homer of Insects" was proposed 1912 for the Nobel Price in literature. A very interesting personality; modest and introverted, nonetheless friend of some famous persons, e.g. John Stewart Mill. His house, now a museum, close to Orange in the Provence, is well worth seeing.

Stephan

[Grump Martian]

The cover makes the book appear ancient Stephan. It does look good.

Edited April 5 by Grump Martian

[mikeDnight]

I think this book is my oldest. It's a beautifully bound leather hardback. They don't make them like this anymore!

[icpn]

I think my oldest is a first edition of Webb's Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes from 1859

[shinebug777]

14 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

I think this book is my oldest. It's a beautifully bound leather hardback. They don't make them like this anymore!

jealous! thats a beautiful book

[Shad00n]

What edition of Sun moon & stars do you have OP? I’m trying to find an online version, the one I found only has black and white photos and does not have the illustrations you show. But I really want the one you have!

[Shad00n]

https://ia800202.us.archive.org/35/items/storyofsunmoonst00gibe/storyofsunmoonst00gibe.pdf
 

this edition is 1890’s but as you can see for example there is no Lunar Landscape Sunset illustration in it. 

[jjohnson3803]

On 06/04/2024 at 02:06, mikeDnight said:

I think this book is my oldest. It's a beautifully bound leather hardback. They don't make them like this anymore!

I was reading my 1974-ish hardback copy of "The Milky Way" by Bok and Bok recently and it struck me how much nicer it felt in my hand compared to my paperback astro books.

 

Edited yesterday at 13:21 by jjohnson3803

[Owmuchonomy]

First edition (1893). The language is somewhat flowery so entertaining but hard to digest.

[Ouroboros]

I think this is my oldest .. despite the religious references it is a science book by one of the great scientists of the time. 

 

[AstroKeith]

1809 - Wonders of the Telescope

Has lovely fold out illustrations ...

 

 

[lukebl]

I have this delightful old book called 'Other Worlds Than Ours', published in 1872. It has a quaint style of writing, as you'd expect for its age, and some delightful colour plates. It's also has a strange section entitled 'Supervision and Control' about the Almighty who is controlling it all.

I hadn't thought about this book until this thread appeared, and I took it off the shelf and noticed the inscription for the first time: 'R. Kincaid Smith, Eton College, Dec 14 1876.' Obviously presented to him for being 'Honoris causa'.

I just did a bit of research and found that it's Ronald Kincaid Smith who was later a Colonel in the 4th Queen's Own Hussars and served in the Sudan and India, and won medals at the battle of Abu Klea. I'd never heard of that battle before but, needless to say, huge numbers of Sudanese were killed there according to Wikipedia.

He also owned racehorses and died unmarried at the age of 47 of Appendicitis in Newmarket. He left everything to his younger brother: £104,000. Equivalent to 15 million in today's money! Lucky brother!

[Xilman]

Not sure and I will need to return to the UK to find out. I certainly have a work written by John Herschel, and numerous others from the 19th century.

Much more recently pubiished - I own a first edition of Norton's from 1910. It is in rather poor condition, sadly, and I must get it rebound.

I've a few 18th century books, one of which gets used quite often. It's a Latin dictionary and that language hasn't changed very much in recent centuries.

My oldest document is a cuneiform tablet. Unfortunately I can't read it. Is there anyone here who reads Akkadian or Sumerian?