An Easy Guide to the Constellations; with a Miniature Atlas of the Stars, and Key Maps

GALL [Jr.], James

Published by Gall and Inglis, 6 George Street / London: Houlston and Wright, Edinburg, 1869

Date estimated based on publisher s address. 15x11.5cm: [1-5], 6-52, [53-65]pp. Navigational star chart from 1943 glued in at rear. Boards bound in pebbled brown cloth blind stamped with floral motif. Title in gilt on front board. Spine a bit sunned with some wear to board edges. Spine ends bumped, with head of spine starting to fray. Cloth at front joint starting to split, but holding firmly. Hinges cracked. Some spotting to pastedowns with glue residue to rear pastedown. Pages lightly toned with offsetting to pages that appear opposite a constellation diagram. Two small wormholes at top right corner of pages, not impacting text or images. Title page with ownership stamps of J. Govett. Additional stamp indicating that the book was purchased by Grant from the Committee of Council on Education . Very Good. This lovely little educational volume is illustrated with diagrams of the constellations and astronomical charts suspended in a deep blue space, reminiscent of cyanotypes. Gall s unusual illustrations were likely inspired by Anna Atkins, who is credited with developing the first photographically illustrated book in 1843, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, using cyanotypes which had been produced for the first time just the year prior. James Gall, Jun. was a printer, minister, astronomer, cartographer, and author who strived to make the fascinating field of astronomy accessible to all, even "to the capacity of children". In this work, Gall explains that previous charts and maps of stars are "so cumbered with lines and figures and names, that it is almost impossible to recognise in the heavens the appearances represented on the paper." Thus, in order to provide a "simple guide to assist us in the study [of the stars]" and to "create an enthusiasm", Gall provides several improvements and advantages captured in his 19 diagrams of the "most conspicuous constellations visible in northern latitudes." Using his deep understanding of celestial bodies, Gall applied his orthographic projection techniques to terrestrial mapmaking as a way to make a flat map of the round Earth. This work became the basis of the 1967 Gall-Peters projection, which reduced the distortions of the relative sizes of regions on a map made popular by the Mercator projection that caused Europe and North America to appear larger and more superior to Africa and South America. A new and enlarged edition was published many years later, featuring diagrams altered from the original; constellations cropped into circles with added text and stylized stars. While we know that the present work is certainly not the new and enlarged edition, the lack of a publication date and the presence of somewhat conflicting information in OCLC and ESTC / British Library, make it difficult to definitively identify this as a first edition. Regardless, this piece seems to be rare with OCLC showing only two holdings at the British Library. Seller Inventory # 10340

Bibliographic Details

Title: An Easy Guide to the Constellations; with a ...
Publisher: Gall and Inglis, 6 George Street / London: Houlston and Wright, Edinburg
Publication Date: 1869
Binding: Hardcover
Edition: 1st Edition