The Story of the Heavens
London, Paris, New York & Melbourne: Cassell & Co., 1885. First Edition. 8vo. xix; 551 pp. Half-title; frontispiece; Index. With coloured plates and numerous illustrations. Three-quarter red leather over cloth covered boards; five raised bands & gilt lettering to spine. A near fine copy of the uncommon first edition of this work. Item #18110
Sir Robert Stawell Ball (1840 1913) was an Irish astronomer who founded the screw theory. In 1874 Ball was appointed Royal Astronomer of Ireland and Andrews Professor of Astronomy in the University of Dublin at Dunsink Observatory. Ball contributed to the science of kinematics by delineating the screw displacement earning him the Cunningham Medal of the Royal Irish Academy. His work "The Story of the Heavens" is mentioned in the "Ithaka" chapter of Ulysses by James Joyce. This beautifully illustrated volume provides a detailed survey of the history and contemporary situation of the solar system, including distant suns, comets, and the Milky Way.
Price: $350.00