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9780754632504

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'The development of research and teaching astronomy in British Universities hinged on the foundation, equipping, and staffing of observatories. This book provides the first detailed study of these institutions across a century and a half. (It) is both a social and a scientific history... a major contribution to our knowledge of the development of scientific institutions in Great Britain... It is a masterpiece of rigorous scholarship, and its style and lack of jargon will make it accessible to a wide range of readers.' Allan Chapman, Wadham College, Oxford, UK 'An encyclopaedic work... it includes material which is extremely difficult to find anywhere else and subjects it to a penetrating analysis... an invaluable resource.' Derek Jones, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK 'This book is a primary source for the history of these observatories. The account of the Neptune incident is splendid; it is historical, and avoids the polemic that has muddled the subject.' David Dewhirst, Cambridge Observatories, UK ’This book lays down a new baseline in the field, much as Allan Chapman's The Victorian Amateur Astronomer did.’ Peter Hingley, Librarian, Royal Astronomical Society 'This encyclopedic work based on extensive scholarship is accessible to the general reader and will be valuable for historians of science... Highly recommended.' Choice '... a masterly piece of work... an absorbing read, dealing not just with astronomy but also with the politics and finance of the science, the social place of the professional astronomer, and his, and occasionally her, relation to the changing amateur establishment. It is hard to see how anyone in the forseeable future will supersede British University Observatories for it is authoritative, well illustrated and readable.’ Astronomy Now ’The book is thoroughly researched and plentiful in detail, reflecting extensive background work with a range of primary sources. The abundance of factual information might discourage reader

'The development of research and teaching astronomy in British Universities hinged on the foundation, equipping, and staffing of observatories. This book provides the first detailed study of these institutions across a century and a half. (It) is both a social and a scientific history... a major contribution to our knowledge of the development of scientific institutions in Great Britain... It is a masterpiece of rigorous scholarship, and its style and lack of jargon will make it accessible to a wide range of readers.' Allan Chapman, Wadham College, Oxford, UK 'An encyclopaedic work... it includes material which is extremely difficult to find anywhere else and subjects it to a penetrating analysis... an invaluable resource.' Derek Jones, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK 'This book is a primary source for the history of these observatories. The account of the Neptune incident is splendid; it is historical, and avoids the polemic that has muddled the subject.' David Dewhirst, Cambridge Observatories, UK 'This book lays down a new baseline in the field, much as Allan Chapman's The Victorian Amateur Astronomer did.' Peter Hingley, Librarian, Royal Astronomical Society 'This encyclopedic work based on extensive scholarship is accessible to the general reader and will be valuable for historians of science... Highly recommended.' Choice '... a masterly piece of work... an absorbing read, dealing not just with astronomy but also with the politics and finance of the science, the social place of the professional astronomer, and his, and occasionally her, relation to the changing amateur establishment. It is hard to see how anyone in the forseeable future will supersede British University Observatories for it is authoritative, well illustrated and readable.' Astronomy Now 'The book is thoroughly researched and plentiful in detail, reflecting extensive background work with a range of primary sources. The abundance of factual information might discourage readers more interested in the general underlying questions and less concerned with the intricacies of British astronomical history. However, the absence of lofty jargon and the lively depictions of the actors' personalities and idiosyncrasies offer the possibility of a pleasant reading. Furthermore, the book is efficiently arranged by theme and chronological period. This is a valuable work of reference that will be equally useful to students of the history of astronomy and astrophysics, and to those specialising in the institutional history of science. It is of particular import to those interested in the role of universities in the promotion of pure research.' Nuncius 'The high standards of scholarship are matched by high production standards - this is a tome that feels good in the hand and looks good to the eye. I'd expect to find it on the shelves wherever history of science is studied.' The Observatory Magazine 'Particularly impressive is the range of material covered as well as the depth of research. I recommend British University Observatories to everyone with a serious interest in the history of astronomy between the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries.' Journal of the British Astronomical Association 'The overall impression of the book is a very well researched and thorough work with ample citations, bibliography and index... The quality of the reproductions is impressive, as often this is an area compromised by publishers of small print runs. Likewise, the quality of the printing, paper and stitch binding is equally high... I recommend it as a vital addition to any library of the history of astronomy, even in these times of economic retrenchment.' SHA Bulletin 'Not only is the book comprehensively footnoted, but its 32-page bibliography and 60-page (!) index are unusually useful and interesting... a fascinating cultural and social history, an astronomical reference book, and a valuable comparative analysis of the research, instruments, and long-term contributions of a group of observatories sharing defining characteristics. Hutchins's approach could provide a fruitful model for the analysis of observatories in other nations.' Journal for the History of Astronomy 'Un must per le biblioteche.' Giornale di Astronomia 'British University Observatories is a highly useful book whose factual content and thematic construction are a major contribution to the history of astronomy. Hopefully it will be a model for studies of observatories in other countries.' Journal of the Antique Telescope Society '... what a marvellous, worthwhile and rewarding book it is. Not only does Hutchins write well, but he also carefully distinguishes between data and opinion... Nearly every extant image of a university observatory, its instruments and its occupants has been beautifully reproduced. Each chapter is superbly referenced, and the bibliography is extensive... Read this book. It will make you proud to be at the chalkface of tertiary astronomy education.' Emeritus Professor David W. Hughes, Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage '... this is a thorough and scholarly work, full of fascinating anecdotes.' Professor Robert C. Smith, Notes and Records of the Royal Society 'It is the great strength of this volume by Roger Hutchins that six British university observatories-ranging north to south from Glasgow, Durham, and Dunsink to Cambridge, Oxford, and London-not only receive an account of their history up to the beginning of World War II, but also for the first time are treated to a detailed comparison. While a few of these institutions have had their histories written... never before have they been compared with such rich and nuanced results... Historians of technology will find here a tremendous amount of information on a variety of telescopes, spectroscopes, photographic equipment; and timepieces, among other accoutrements of astronomical research... Hutchins has made ample use of primary and secondary sources, including manuscript and archival resources in the United Kingdom and the United States. His volume is rounded out by a lengthy bibliography and an extremely detailed, and therefore useful, index. He is to be congratulated for a well-written and pathbreaking book, and the publisher for a handsome and well-produced volume.' Steven J. Dick, Technology and Culture '... a masterly, comprehensive, and well-illustrated institutional history... Hutchins's book is an essential contribution to the history of science, both when it delivers what it promises, but especially when it digresses to the history of instrumentation, practices, research agendas, and to geographies beyond Britain. A large section dedicated to the discovery of Neptune, to cite one example, illustrates new relationships between mathematical, amateur, practical, and university astronomy, but it is in fact most interesting when it departs from the institutional focus of the book.' Victorian Studies '... la definition des points de convergences historiques entre les differents observatoires universitaires offre une analyse particulierement riche... L'ouvrage de Roger Hutchins, richement documente, soucieux des nuances et finement articule consitue un apport historiographique majeur. L'histoire des observatoires universitaires qu'il propose s'appuie sur une problematique originale (i.e. considerer ces etablissements comme un groupe coherent) et des decoupages chronologiques subtils degageant les evolutions profondes sans rien perdre des contingences locales. La perspective d'une convergence europeenne des observatoires a la fin du XIXe siecle constitue a n'en pas douter une proposition feconde dans une perspective comparative de grande ampleur.' Jerome Lamy, Revue d'Histoire des Sciences '... impressive in many respects. The product of many years of painstaking research... incorporates existing literature while providing a phenomenal amount of new information... the equally impressive bibliography, index and synthetic tables help the reader navigate this enyclopedic volume, as does the author's clear, factual prose and his sure-footed guidance... Altogether meticulously written, well illustrated and carefully produced...' British Journal for the History of Science 'Hutchins' approach is descriptive, mosaic and detailed... [He] has produced a valuable addition to the literature.' ISIS

'The development of research and teaching astronomy in British Universities hinged on the foundation, equipping, and staffing of observatories. This book provides the first detailed study of these institutions across a century and a half. (It) is both a social and a scientific history... a major contribution to our knowledge of the development of scientific institutions in Great Britain... It is a masterpiece of rigorous scholarship, and its style and lack of jargon will make it accessible to a wide range of readers.' Allan Chapman, Wadham College, Oxford, UK 'An encyclopaedic work... it includes material which is extremely difficult to find anywhere else and subjects it to a penetrating analysis... an invaluable resource.' Derek Jones, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK 'This book is a primary source for the history of these observatories. The account of the Neptune incident is splendid; it is historical, and avoids the polemic that has muddled the subject.' David Dewhirst, Cambridge Observatories, UK 'This book lays down a new baseline in the field, much as Allan Chapman's The Victorian Amateur Astronomer did.' Peter Hingley, Librarian, Royal Astronomical Society 'This encyclopedic work based on extensive scholarship is accessible to the general reader and will be valuable for historians of science... Highly recommended.' Choice '... a masterly piece of work... an absorbing read, dealing not just with astronomy but also with the politics and finance of the science, the social place of the professional astronomer, and his, and occasionally her, relation to the changing amateur establishment. It is hard to see how anyone in the forseeable future will supersede British University Observatories for it is authoritative, well illustrated and readable.' Astronomy Now 'The book is thoroughly researched and plentiful in detail, reflecting extensive background work with a range of primary sources. The abundance of factual information might discourage reader

Author Information

Roger Hutchins, FRAS, as a member of Magdalen College received his B.A. in Modern History from the University of Oxford in 1992, and his D.Phil. in 1999. He was also a Research Associate with and contributor to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

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