Synopsis
The Perfect Inventor, Astronomer And Naturalist: Or, The Spirit Of The Age by Joseph Sutter is a compelling 1872 work that combines autobiography, patent advocacy, and speculative science. Organized into three parts, it explores (1) inventions, celebrating advancements such as printing, gunpowder, clocks, steam power, railroads, steamboats, and the telegraph, while advocating for practical testing of patents and fair rewards for inventors, including Sutter's own nine patents and numerous ideas. (2) Astronomy critically examines modern theories of the sun, moon, and planets, arguing that celestial distances are overestimated and mainstream astronomy is misguided through simple calculations and electro-magnetical postulates. (3) Natural Science delves into various phenomena such as air, mountains, comets, shooting stars, thunder, wind, rainbows, the northern lights, petrified fossils, and climate, all from the perspective of a practical inventor. The Appendix includes discussions on the corona of the sun and photographic phenomena, making this work a fascinating example of 19th-century fringe science and polemic.
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