HUGGINS, WILLIAM, SIR (1824-1910) and LADY HUGGINS (1848-1915). Atlas of representative stellar spectra from lamda 61548;4870 to lamda 61548;3300, together with a discussion of the evolutional order of the stars, and the interpretation of their spectra. Preceded by a short history of the observatory and its work. London: William Wesley and Son, 1899. FIRST EDITION. Folio (15 1/2 x 12 inches). Orig. beveled cloth. (10), 165, (3) pp. Errata slip. Twelve half-tone plates of stellar spectra + illus. in the text, some full-page + initials and vignettes drawn by Lady Huggins. PRESENTATION COPY to the American astronomer, David P. Todd (1855-1939), who while chief astronomer at Lick Observatory produced a complete set of photographs of the 1882 transit of Venus. From 1881 to 1917 Todd was professor astronomy and director of the observatory at Amherst College. He also led many astronomical expeditions here and abroad. The holograph presentation dated January 1900 is on Huggins' Tusle stationery tipped in before the title and includes Todd's ownership signature and receipt entry in France on 21 Feb. 1900. The cloth is soiled in spots, a bit worn at the corners and at the spine ends, internally clean and crisp. "In January 1899, Huggins informed Hale he was planning 'to bring out our new spectra in a privately printed volume'. �Their principal motivation for publishing the book was 'to place in the hands of those interested in the subject representative spectra of the principal classes of stars through a long range of wave-length, together with scales attached, sufficient for the determination of the approximate positions of the stronger lines.' They spared no effort in preparing the volume's twelve plates. To produce 'the most truthful representation of the photographs' required 'many trials and much consideration'. �The Hugginses eventually settled for a scale of enlargement that sacrificed some detailed structure in order to reproduce correctly the tone of the originals. �The folio book, 'An Atlas of Representative Stellar Spectra', was identified on the title page as the first volume of the 'Publications of Sir William Huggins's Observatory.' �Reviewers admired the volume as 'magnificent', 'striking' and 'beautifully printed and bound'. All took delight in the pen-and-ink illustrations contributed by Margaret Huggins. �In the 'Edinburgh Review', Agnes Clerke - as few others could - drew attention to Margaret's scientific contributions to the work." (B.J. Becker, 'Uravelling Starlight - William and Margaret Huggins and the rise of the new astronomy', 2011, pp. 272-273). Volume 2 - 'Scientific papers of Sir William Huggins' finally appeared in 1909 as a quarto. D.S.B. 6: 540-643.

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Atlas of representative stellar spectra from lamda 61548;4870 to lamda 61548; 3300, together with a discussion of the evolutional order of the stars, and the interpretation of their spectra. Preceded by a short history of the observatory and its work
Publisher: London: William Wesley and Son
Publication Date: 1899
Binding: Hardcover
Edition: 1st Edition
Condition: Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)

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