Gill

1880 · 401565 — London: John Murray 1880. Second edition inscribed by David Gill. Hinges split; top corner of front free endpaper wanting—despite these faults still a nice copy. 8vo. liv 285 pp. with 32 pp. of ads dated September 1888 bound in at rear. Frontispiece map and with tables and figures in the text.Publisher's brown cloth stamped in black and in gilt. Inscribed by David Gill on half-title: "To Annie Maclear/with best wishes/from David Gill/1890 Nov 18". Four-page manuscript poem "In Memoriam" pinned to front free endpaper. An account of Isobel Sarah Black Gill's 1848-1919 life on Ascension Island with her husband Scottish astronomer Sir David Gill 1843-1914. The purpose of this 1877 expedition was to measure the solar parallax-the distance between the Earth and the Sun-by observing Mars which was then the closest to Earth than it had been for a century. In his introduction to his wife's book he details the various historical attempts at this same endeavor. Among his many achievements David Gill was a pioneer in the field of astrophotography he photographed the Great Comet of 1882 and he served as the director of Lord Lindsay's later 26th Earl of Crawford private observatory. Also the Carte du Ciel project-an international effort to catalogue and map the stars-was continued largely due to Gill's support. His expedition to Ascension Island was partially funded by the Royal Astronomical Society where he later served as president from 1909-1911. Despite Isobel's claim that the book is an "unscientific account" in Chapter I she wrote a very knowledgeable description of her husband's work which relied upon objects such as knitting needles and lengths of fabric to explain the measuring of astronomical distances and angles. David Gill was once asked if his wife knew anything about astronomy to which he replied "Not a word thank God!" Inscribed to Annie Maclear 1868-1945 the granddaughter of Sir Thomas Maclear 1794-1879 an Irish astronomer known for his work recalculating the dimensions of the Earth and also a friend of David Livingstone. Both Maclear and Gill spent much of their careers in South Africa and both served as Her Majesty's Astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope from 1833-1870 and 1879-1907 respectively. When they first moved to Ascension Island Annie Maclear was one of the Gills' first visitors and became a dear friend. On December 28 1890 in Cape Town South Africa Annie married Harold Jacoby 1865-1932 an American astronomer and an assistant of Gill's. This book was perhaps an engagement or wedding gift as the inscription is dated a month before the wedding. Laid in is a fair copy of a lengthy poem in honor of Maclear entitled "In Memoriam" "Died at Mowbray on the 14th July 1879. Sir Thomas Maclear late H. M. Astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope in his 86th year." that is signed by Gill although her name appears to be misspelled "Isabel". The poem appears to be unique as we can find no mention or trace of it and to our knowledge it remains unpublished. A footnote explains that Maclear was totally blind in his last years and the poem ends appropriately with the lines "The weary eyes that rested here/Preparing for a purer light/Have opened far beyond the stars/And endless day succeeds the night." In a letter to the English mathematician and astronomer Sir George Airy notifying him of Thomas Maclear's death David Gill wrote that though he had only met him a few times he was deeply impressed by Maclear's work and hoped to "produce much valuable metal from the ore which Maclear has collected.". <br/><br/> John Murray hardcover books