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** RARE ** 1ST EDITION, 1851 ** HARDCOVER ** NOT A LIBRARY BOOK ** CLEAN, STAIN-FREE, UNMARKED ** COMPLETE, NO PAGES MISSING ** ILLUSTRATED ** Published in London by Hippolyte Bailliere, 1851, with 344 pages, 5 full-page illustration plates under tissue guard, a number of in-text drawings. By Scottish educator and astronomer John Pringle Nichol, who did much to popularize astronomy in the 19th century with a series of books intended for laymen.One of the first books to discuss the then-recent discovery of Neptune. Title page dated 1851, Preface dated 1850. Bound in its original cloth-covered bevel-edged boards, with the title and author's name embossed in blind on the front and rear, in gilt on the spine. Gilt to spine intact and still fairly bright. Cloth to boards shows occasional light-to-moderate wear and tearing at the extremities, but the cloth remains basically complete, intact, and in place. Corner tips worn. Interior hinges exposed to the webbing beneath, binding somewhat loose as a result, but still holding, boards and spine still attached. First gathering of pages detached but present and otherwise undamaged; from the Preface onward the textblock is intact and firmly attached to the backstrip, no pages loose or missing. Pages lightly age-toned, but all text is clean, clear, sharp and very legible. Previous owner's bookplate on front pastedown, no writing, underlining or highlighting in the text. Cosmetically, not the prettiest of copies, but a complete and basically intact, very serviceable copy of an extremely hard-to-find book. Five-star seller, buy with confidence, professional booksellers for 35 years, selling books online since 1995. B7. Seller Inventory # 16943
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