Rare 1864 Draper Silvered Telescope Astro Photography

Rare and important mid 19th century scientific work

pioneering astronomical photography

Henry Draper's monograph on constructing a reflecting telescope for use in photographing celestial bodies

On the Contruction of a Silvered Glass Telescope, Fifteen and a Half Inches in Aperture, and its Use in Celestial Photography

by

Henry Draper

published as

Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge #180

v. 14, art. 4 

Washington, Smithsonian Institution, 1864. Small folio, 13” [33cm] tall. iii, [1], 55 p. illustrated with 47 pictorial and diagramatic  figures.  1^st edition

1^st edition of the standard work on the construction of a reflecting telescope by the pioneer of celestial photography using telescopes. An exceptionally neat example of this scarce and important work. Contents are fine. Page stock is bright and supple. Bound in a modern casing of maroon paper covered boards with blue cloth backstrip. Printed paper title label mounted to cover board.

Draper began experimenting in the early 1860’s with silvered glass telescopes intending to use them to capture photographic images of celestial bodies. His early successes in 1863 - photographing the moon, sun and planets - gave rise to further experimentation and the encouragement by the Smithsonian to write this monograph.  

Of note was the sale at auction [Christies] last year of this monograph - with the addition of George Ritchey’s work of 1904 on the Modern Reflecting Telescope – for $3,750.  The price was exceedingly strong and can to some degree be attributed to provenance - being part of the collection of scientific books assembled by Richard Green.   

This copy is very handsome and unlikely to appear for sale in such a well preserved condition in any near future. 

As always, shipped carefully packed in box and insured at my expense