The Shadow of the Telescope: A Biography of John Herschel

This first full-length biography of Sir John Herschel tells of a remarkable man who contributed to nearly every branch of astronomy, and to half a dozen other sciences as well. The only son of the astronomer Sir William Herschel (founder of stellar astronomy and discoverer of the planet Uranus), he comes vividly to life in descriptions of his personality and his varied achievements. Making admirable use of John Herschel's unpublished correspondence, diaries, and notebooks, the author covers...