HERSCHEL, JOHN FREDERICK WILLIAM

7 autograph letters signed ("JFW Herschel" or "JFWH") in total 20 pages, and 3 undated autograph manuscripts, 6 pages in total, all ranging in size from 115 x 93 mm to 314 x 198 mm. 

Creases where previously folded, some occasional small splits to folds, some letters with light soiling to outer blank leaves, some letters with open tear at fore-edge resulting from the original opening of the wax seals.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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"YOU WILL THINK ME A SAD DOG, BUT IN TRUTH I AM HARASSED. WHAT WITH MY BOOK, THE THIRD PART OF WHICH I HAVE WRITTEN AT LEAST 3 TIMES OVER AND WHICH, AFTER ALL, IS DONE MOST WRETCHEDLY, AND WHAT WITH SITTING UP STAR-GAZING THESE SUPERB NIGHTS..."

A fascinating correspondence with English Geologist Dr. William H. Fitton spanning from 1827-1830, discussing various publications, including the writing of his Discourse on Natural Philosophy; happenings of the Royal Society, including Sir Humphry Davy's resignation of his chair; and matters of the Geological Society amongst many other topics. The 3 autograph manuscripts consist first, of Herschel's views of the election of the Royal Society's officers; second, a large chart headed Tangent of Angles; and third, mathematical formulae and geometric diagrams.

John Frederick William Herschel was a renowned astronomer, mathematician, chemist, and photographer who discovered the ability of hyposulfite to be used as a fixing agent in photography, and coined the terms photography, positive, and negative. He published his famous treatise Discourse on Natural Philosophy in 1830, and made important advancements in the fields of optics and magnetism, as well as to the development of telescopes and microscopes. A prolific writer, he spent his later years building on the work of his famous father astronomer William Herschel, discovering 1,202 pairs of close double stars and 1,708 nebulae and clusters.