TWO SYSTEMS OF ASTRONOMY: FIRST, THE NEWTONIAN SYSTEM . . . : SECOND, THE SYSTEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

(COLOR PRINTING). (GEOCENTRIC ASTRONOMY, 19TH CENTURY). (MUGGLETONIANS). FROST, ISAAC

Published by [Printed by Catchpool & Trent for] Simpkin, Marshall, & Co, London, 1846

About this Item

320 x 255 mm. (12 1/2 x 10"). xiii, [3], 96 pp. Publisher's original blind-decorated dun-colored cloth, gilt titling to upper cover, smooth spine, newer endpapers. WITH 11 COLOR ENGRAVINGS after Frost by W. P. Chubb & Son, printed in oil colors by George Baxter, all with original tissue guards. Front free endpaper with small ink signature of John Hill. See: Francis Reid, "Isaac Frost's 'Two Systems of Astronomy' (1846): Plebeian Resistance and Scriptural Astronomy," in "The British Journal for the History of Science," Vol. 38, No. 2 (Jun., 2005), pp. 161-177. â Cloth rather spotted, corners bumped, but the binding solid, with no wear to joints or hinges. A few spots of foxing to title page, half of the tissue guards with overall very faint foxing/browning, the illustrations with minor foxing at edges and in margins, but the images themselves clean and bright, and, all in all, a really excellent copy, the text wide-margined and quite clean and fresh, and the plates with rich coloring. Illustrated with beautiful color plates, this anti-Newtonian work promotes a view of the universe based on the backward-looking beliefs professed by a Protestant sect known as the Muggletonians. Named after co-founder Lodowicke Muggleton, the Muggletonians emerged in London in 1651 based on the claims of two tailors who professed to be the "Last Witnesses" described in the Book of Revelation. Rejecting the new directions in philosophical reason, Muggletonians believed in a purely scriptural interpretation of the universe. According to E. P. Thompson's 1994 "Witness Against the Beast," the Muggletonians had curious notions quite contrary to other Protestant denominations: they believed that the soul is mortal, that Jesus and God are one and the same, that Heaven was left without divine supervision from Jesus' death until the day of judgment, that Heaven resides six miles above the Earth, that God stands between five and six feet tall, and other unconventional things. Although the sect initially avoided both worship and evangelizing, during the 19th century some followers became more outspoken about their beliefs, and even published books appealing to the general public. Our author, Isaac Frost (1793-1858), was a prominent Muggletonian and successful owner of a brass foundry, who, along with his brother Joseph, invested large sums to promote their belief system--the present work being an especially notable example. Divided into two main sections, the text first describes the Newtonian system of heliocentric astronomy, and then turns to Frost's scriptural interpretation and geocentric views. As Reid tells us, "According to Frost, Scripture clearly states that the Sun, the Moon and the Stars are embedded in a firmament made of congealed water and revolve around the Earth, that Heaven has a physical reality above and beyond the stars, and that the planets and the Moon do not reflect the Sun's rays but are themselves independent sources of light. [Our] book was apparently written as a reaction against the lecturers who expressed Newtonian astronomy--which was often for them and their audiences, simply shorthand for heliocentrism." The 11 plates that illustrate these extraordinary ideas are the work of George Baxter, a pioneering printer who revolutionized color printing techniques by combining metal engravings with woodblock printing using oil-based inks to produce high-quality, affordable prints. The plates here are appropriately ethereal and otherworldly, utilizing a beautiful palette with subtle gradations and esoteric figures to create memorable pseudo-scientific imagery. Although this work appears at auction with some regularity, it is almost always incomplete, no doubt because the attractiveness of its plates encourages harvesting. Useful price comparisons include a complete copy (said to be in fine condition) selling for £7,500 in 2016, and six loose prints from the book fetching £6,875 in 2015.

Seller Inventory # ST19286

Bibliographic Details

• Title: TWO SYSTEMS OF ASTRONOMY: FIRST, THE NEWTONIAN SYSTEM . . . : SECOND, THE SYSTEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
• Publisher: [Printed by Catchpool & Trent for] Simpkin, Marshall, & Co, London
• Publication Date: 1846
• Edition: FIRST EDITION.
• Seller catalogs:
  • Magic, Occult, & Pseudo-science
  • Illustrated Books - Color Plates