Kew Observatory and the Evolution of Victorian Science, 1840-1910: (Science and Culture in the Nineteenth Century)
By
Lee T. Macdonald (Author)
Hardback
Available / dispatched within 1 - 4 weeks
Quantity
Description
Kew Observatory was originally built in 1769 for King George III, a keen amateur astronomer, so that he could observe the transit of Venus. By the mid-nineteenth century, it was a world-leading center for four major sciences: geomagnetism, meteorology, solar physics, and standardization. Long before government cutbacks forced its closure in 1980, the observatory was run by both major bodies responsible for the management of science in Britain: first the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and then, from 1871, the Royal Society. Kew Observatory influenced and was influenced by many of the larger developments in the physical sciences during the second half of the nineteenth century, while many of the major figures involved were in some way affiliated with Kew.
Lee T. Macdonald explores the extraordinary story of this important scientific institution as it rose to prominence during the Victorian era. His book offers fresh new insights into key historical issues in nineteenth-century science: the patronage of science; relations between science and government; the evolution of the observatory sciences; and the origins and early years of the National Physical Laboratory, once an extension of Kew and now the largest applied physics organization in the United Kingdom. 11 b&w images
About the Author
Lee T. Macdonald is research facilitator at the University of Oxford's Museum of the History of Science, and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He is the author of How to Observe the Sun Safely.
More Details
- Contributor: Lee T. Macdonald
- Imprint: University of Pittsburgh Press
- ISBN13: 9780822945260
- Number of Pages: 336
- Packaged Dimensions: 150x230mm
- Format: Hardback
- Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
- Release Date: 2018-05-18
- Series: Science and Culture in the Nineteenth Century
- Binding: Hardback
- Biography: Lee T. Macdonald is research facilitator at the University of Oxford's Museum of the History of Science, and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He is the author of How to Observe the Sun Safely.
Delivery Options
Home Delivery
Store Delivery
Free Returns
We hope you are delighted with everything you buy from us. However, if you are not, we will refund or replace your order up to 30 days after purchase. Terms and exclusions apply; find out more from our Returns and Refunds Policy.