Astronomie. Tome premier [- seconde]

LALANDE, Jérôme

Published by Desaint & Saillant, Paris, 1764

About this Item

THE TEXTBOOK FOR A GENERATION OF ASTRONOMERS. First edition, a fine set from the library of Erik Prosperin, of this major work by the celebrated French astronomer, which served as the introductory text for a generation of astronomers. "Next to his indefatigable efforts to improve astronomical tables, Lalande s greatest contribution was as a writer of textbooks, the most important being his Traité d astronomie of 1764, with subsequent editions in 1771 and 1792. It became a standard textbook and had the advantage over other texts of containing much practical information on instruments and methods of calculation" (DSB)."Lalande (1732-1807) became interested in astronomy while he was lodging at the Hôtel de Cluny, where the noted astronomer Joseph-Nicolas Delisle had his observatory. In 1751 Lalande went to Berlin to make lunar observations in concert with the work of Nicolas Louis de Lacaille at the Cape of Good Hope. The success of this task and the subsequent calculation of the Moon s distance secured for Lalande, before he reached the age of 21, admission to the Academy of Berlin and the post of adjunct astronomer to the Academy of Paris. Lalande then devoted himself to the improvement of planetary theory, publishing in 1759 a corrected edition of the tables of Halley s Comet. He helped organize international collaboration in observing the transits of Venus in 1761 and 1769; the data obtained made possible the accurate calculation of the distance between Earth and the Sun. In 1762 Lalande was appointed to the chair of astronomy in the Collège de France, Paris, a position that he held for 46 years. A popularizer of astronomy, he instituted the Lalande Prize in 1802 for the chief astronomical contribution of each year" (Britannica). Provenance: Erik Prosperin (inscribed Upsala d. 11. Nov. 1765. Erik Prosperin , Exempl. (?) 180 (currency ?) - Bandet 27 (currency) and the addition in all 207 , thus stating the cost of the acquired work and the cost of its binding); Is. Sam. Widebeck (from Upsala); C.F. Lindman (Swedish mathematician). Prosperin was a well known Swedish astronomer who calculated orbits for a total of 84 comets, notaby Comet Messier , Comet Bode , and the new planet Uranus (discovered in 1781 and initially thought to be a comet); he was also one of the first to calculate the orbit of the first asteroid, 1 ceres in 1801. He was professor of physics and mathematics at Upsala University from 1767, Professor of astronomy 1797-98, member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences etc. "Lalande s father was Pierre Le Françis, director of the post office at burg and also director of the tobacco warehouse. his mother was the former Marie-Anne-Gabrielle Monchinet. Lalande used the simple patronym Le François until 1752 when he began to write Le Francois de la Lande. With the abolition of noble titles during the Revolution he became simply Lalande. Apparently he had no brothers or sisters and was never married. His nephew, Michel-Jean-Jérôme Lefrancais de Lalande, who became an astronomer under Lalande s tutelage, was actually a grandson of Lalande s uncle. Lalande also frequently referred to Michel s wife as his niece or daughter and occasionally employed her in the calculation of astronomical tables. "Lalande was extremely well known during his lifetime, partly because of the enormous bulk of his writings and partly because of his love for the limelight. Nothing pleased him more than to see his name in the public press, a weakness that he readily confessed; I am an oilskin for insults and a sponge for praise. He was first and foremost a practical astronomer, a maker of tables and an excellent writer of astronomical textbooks. His enormous energy and active pen could never be confined to astronomy, however; and he also wrote on the practical arts, published travel literature, and was very active in the scientific academies. "Lalande was educated by the Jesuits at the Collège de Lyon and at first indicated an intenti. Seller Inventory # 5787

Bibliographic Details

Title: Astronomie. Tome premier [- seconde]

Publisher: Desaint & Saillant, Paris

Publication Date: 1764