[Atlas Celeste]; Exceedingly rare edition of John Bevis's 'Unpublished' Atlas Celeste, also referred to by some as the "Forgotten Star Atlas" or the "Ghost Book"

Beschreibung

Celestial Atlas. Oblong folio (19 1/4" x 14 7/8"), leather spine over marble boards. "Table of the Stars" in gilt on spine. 51 uncolored engraved celestial charts. No frontispiece, title or index page. Individual charts with printed arms of the dedicatees (either academic institution or nobleman) beneath each image. Each annotated with pencil, possibly by Richard Alexander, the previous owner. Plates are generally in good condition with foxing and minor staining. First and last plates exhibit comparatively more foxing. First fly leaf and plate I detached from binding with tape residue. Includes signature and embossed seal of the possible previous owner, Richard Alexander, Madison Square Post Office, New York City and the 'Philosopher's Library of New York', possibly his own private library. Pasted book plate with engraved shield for Bateman and another pasted book plate with a globe. Faded pencil markings read "John Bevis 1745 Mr. Wesley Secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society". Manuscript note pasted on inside cover reads, "Mr. Wesley the Secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society informs me that he believes this to be the work of Dr. John Bevis about 1747. The work was never published owning to the bankruptcy of the engravers but some copies got into the hands of the Public. Mr. Wesley only knows of three one in the R.A.S library, one which belongs to the late Professor Adams and this one. The one in the R.A.S library has an engraved frontispiece but no name or date to identify it. It was bought." The later part of the note is missing. Contents: The "Uranographia Britannica" was based on John Flamsteed's star positions and Edmond Halley's observations of the southern hemisphere as well as Bevis's own transit observations of up to 160 stars a night made between 1738 and 1739 from his observatory. Possibly engraved by Dutch craftsmen who were at the time recognized to be the best, the atlas includes beautiful artwork mapping stars with respect to their zodiacal positions. It includes 48 plates depicting specific constellations with one chart of the southern constellations based on Halley's observations and the last two charts showing wide-field southern and northern planispheres. Each includes individual dedications to the subscribing institutions and individuals, dating these first-impression charts to 1747-1750. Although the plates are based on Johannes Bayer's "Uranometria", the "Atlas Celeste" is considered superior to previous atlases of Flamsteed and Bayer as it shows many more stars and represents a more realistic and accurate mapping of the heavens. It was the first star atlas to show extended objects, many of which were later catalogued by Charles Messier. Messier added references to Bevis's work in corresponding entries in his catalog. It was also the last atlas to be ecliptic-oriented rather than using the equatorial coordinate system of modern star maps. In total, the atlas contains over 3550 stars. Some of the most notable observations recorded in the Atlas include the pre-discovery observation of the planet Uranus, observed as a 'star' by Flamsteed in 1690, and the depiction of the Crab Nebula making its first appearance in any atlas. Both these can be seen on the Taurus chart (Plate XXIII). The atlas also includes three 'extinct stars', the first shown on the chart depicting Ursa Minor (Plate I) and the other two shown on the chart depicting Cygnus (Plate IX). The chart of Cygnus is considered the best classical depiction of this constellation. The positions of the supernovae of Tycho (on the Cassiopeia chart) and Keplar are also included. Unlike any other atlas before it, the Atlas Celeste depicts the position of nine nebulae, including the Crab Nebula, which Bevis discovered, as well as M35 which is usually assigned to De Cheseaux, suggesting that Bevis might be the original discoverer of M35 as well. If the "Uranographia" was published in 1750 as intended, it would have been one of the great star atlases. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 264413

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