Atlas Céleste Contenant Plus de 100000 Etoiles et Nébuleuses dont la Position est Réduite au 1er Janvier 1860, D'après les Catalogues les Plus Exacts des Astronomes Français et Etrangers

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Atlas Céleste Contenant Plus de 100000 Etoiles et Nébuleuses dont la Position est Réduite au 1er Janvier 1860, D'après les Catalogues les Plus Exacts des Astronomes Français et Etrangers--Introduction par M. Babinet, Gauthier-Villars, Paris, 1865. 20 3/16 x 13 7/8 inches, 24 plates including 3 double plates.

Dark green boards with gilt title on front plus blind embossed design front and back. Wear to edges especially on spine. Binding is becoming loose but still mostly intact. Gutter exposed inside front board. Several small areas outside of printed plates of insect damage. Paper lightly toned. Last double plate has pulled slightly with minor chipping to fore edge. Good condition.

Fabulous atlas of the heavens from French cosmographer Charles Dien published in 1865. Dien was known for his work developing intricate metal globes and in the construction of celestial spheres.  He also worked on a number of astronomical charts and tables. 

Includes 4-page introduction including explanation of each chart. From the introduction by M. Babinet: "To recognize the constellations and principal stars in the sky, as well as the movements of the planets, it is essential to have star charts that indicate the different groups characterizing the various regions of the starry sky. The figures of men, animals, and fantastical beings associated with each group of stars called a constellation or asterism often bear no resemblance to the objects they name; but these names date back to such ancient times that attempts to replace them with less arbitrary and less bizarre divisions have been in vain. The Great and Little Bear, Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Aries, Taurus, Leo, Virgo, Bacchus, Scorpio, Orion, and Canis Major and Minor will remain part of our sky, as they were in antiquity, from the Bible, Homer, Hipparchus, and Ptolemy."

Of particular note are the beautiful double plates representing the northern and southern skies complete with named constellations and fanciful drawings.

Extra shipping required due to size and weight.