The Rare and Antiquarian Book Collection of the Armagh Observatory

Compiled by
John McFarland

See also: Historical Resources and Information

Appended is a list of the rare and antiquarian books accumulated during the first century, or so, of the existence of the Armagh Observatory up to and including the year 1883. Many volumes bear the signature or shield of Revd. Dr. T. R. Robinson, the third Director of the Observatory, others the seal of the Observatory on the title page or inside front cover. Among the collection are two volumes by Julius Firmicus Maternus and others from the early printing era, dated 1499 in the colophon. There are four seventeenth-century tomes by Kepler, Hevel, Galilei, and Lubienietz, respectively, and three other volumes containing substantial portions of seventeenth-century writings. Considering multi-volume works as single items, there are forty-three eighteenth-century works. The nineteenth century is represented by one hundred and sixteen works.

An explanation of the table is given below.

Col. I	Volume reference number.
Col. 2	Author's name. Occasionally the tome is an English translation, and in that case only the original author's name appears.
Col. 3	Brief title of work; also volume and edition are given whenever indicated, followed by place of publication.
Col. 4	Number of pages in volume, pi. indicates plates, and chps. means chapters.
Col. 5	Date of publication.
Col. 6	Remarks on the condition of the volume covers, spine and pages, respectively, separated by semi-colons. The code used ranges from extremely poor (EP), through fair (F), good (G), to extremely good (EG). In the case of the covers and spine, EP indicates that large portions of the material are missing, and the remainder is badly scuffed or torn. VP indicates that small portions are missing and the rest is badly scuffed. While P means that the binding material is scuffed, but no parts are missing. F indicates a moderate degree of scuffing. G and VG are indicative of being only a little worn. EG means that the tome is intact and very little worn.

For the pages, EP means that some are very discoloured, torn and/or missing. VP indicates that some are very discoloured, and P that some are slightly discoloured, but the pages are intact. F means that some pages are a little discoloured and are perhaps untrimmed. G is indicative of very little discolouration on trimmed pages. For untainted, intact and trimmed pages, we have used the designations VG or EG.

Other abbreviations employed in the Remarks column are: -

a.d.	almost detached from main body of book,
d.	detached from main body of book,
disc.	discoloured,
f.	front cover,
f.d.	front cover is detached.
f.a.d.	front cover is almost detached,
fd.	faded,
f.m.	front cover is missing,
m.	missing,
r.	rear cover,
r.d.	rear cover detached,
r.m.	rear cover missing,
sl.	slightly,
unt.	untrimmed.

As an example, we give below an explanation of one of the entries in the Remarks column. VP, f.d., r.a.d.; VP, fd.; P, unt. The covers are very poor, i.e. small portions of the material are missing and the rest is badly scuffed. The front cover is detached, and the rear cover is almost detached from the main body of the volume. The spine is in a very poor state, well worn and with small pieces missing, and it has faded considerably. The pages are in a poor condition, some being slightly discoloured but otherwise intact. They are, however, untrimmed.

For further details and/or information about viewing the collection, please contact the compiler at the address below.

Acknowledgment

It is a pleasure to thank Mr. A. R. Macdonald, Librarian of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, for making many suggestions on an early draft of this listing.

J. McFarland

No(RA)	Author	Title	Pages	Date	Remarks
9	Adams, G.	Micrographia Illustrata...4th ed,	385	177l	VP,f.d.,r.a.d.;VP,fd;P, unt.
		A Catalogue of Mathematical, Philosophical, and Optical Instruments, London.	14
12	Adams, G.	Geometrical and Graphical Essays, London	516	1791	G;G,fd.;G
15	Adams, G.	Astronomical and Geographical Essays: 3rd ed, London	600	1795	VP,f.m.,r.d.;VP;G
37	Arbogast, L. F. A.	Du Calcul des Derivations, Strasbourg	428	1800	F; F; G
36	Babbage, C.	Scriptores Optici, London	599	1823	F; F; G
7	Babinet, J. and Housel, C. P.	Calculs Pratiques Appliques aux Sciences d'Observation, Paris	404	1857	EG; EG; VG
35	Baily, F.	New Tables for Facilitating the Computation of Precession, London	224	1827	G; G, fd.; G, disc.
224	Bailey, F.	Supplement to the Account of the Revd. John Flamsteed, London	78	1837	P;P;G
8	Barlow, P.	NewMathematicalTables, London	400	1814	P;P;G
36	Barrow, I.	Lectiones XVIII, Cantabrigiae in Scholis Publicis Habitae, London	139	1669
		(Bound with Scriptores Optici by C. Babbage)
52	Beer, W. and Madler, J. H.	Der Mond nach seinen kosmischen Verhaltnissen, Berlin	432	1837	F,a.d.;EP;G
54	Bernoulli, J.	A Sexcentenary Table; London	174	1779	F;F-G;VG
50	Bessel, F. W.	Fundamenta Astronomiae pro anno 1755, Regiomonti	336	1818	P,r.a.d.;F;F
14	Bessel, F. W.	Tabulae Regiomontanae Reductionum, Regiomonti	608	1830	F; F, sl. fd.; G
197	Bianchi, G.	Atti del R. Osservatorio Astronomico di Modena, Modena	394	1834	f. EP, r.m.; m; P, disc., unt.
1	Biot, J.-B.	Traite Elementaire d'Astronomie Phys. I 2nd ed	476	1810	F; P-F; G
2	Biot, J.-B.	Traite Elementaire d'Astronomie Phys. II 2nd ed	575	1811	F; F; G
3	Biot, J.-B.	Traite Elementaire d'Astronomie Phys. III 2nd ed, Paris	259	181l	F;F,fd.;G
4	Biot, J .-B.	Precis Elementaire de Phys. Experimentale I	586	1817	F, d. ; VP ; G
5	Biot,J.-B.	Precis Elementaire de Phys. Experimentale II, Paris	612	1817	F,a.d.;P,sl.fd.;G
6	Bland, M.	Algebraical Problems producing simple and quadratic equations, 7th ed, Cambridge	438	1837	P; P; G
10	Brady, J.	Clavis Calendaria I	398	1812	F; G; G
l1	Brady, J.	Clavis Calendaria II, London	376	1812	F;G,sl.fd.;G
13	Breen, H.	A Treatise on the Summation of Series, Belfast	163	1827	F; F; G
28	Bremiker, C.	Logarithmorum VI Decimalium Nova Tabula, Berlin	608	1852	G; F, fd.; VG
76	Brinkley, J.	Elements of Astronomy, Dublin	346	1813	F-G,f.d.;F;G
77	Brinkley, J.	Elements of Astronomy, Dublin	346	1813	G; G; G
78	Brinkley, J.	Elements of P1ane Astronomy 6th ed, Dublin	312	1845	F; P-F; G, unt.
91	Brink1ey, J.	Brinkley's Astronomy, Dublin	328	1871	G,r.sl.d.;F;G
199	Brioschi, C.	Comentarj Astronomici della Specola Reale di Napoli I, Napoli	368	1824/6	f.EP,r.m.;EP;P-G,disc.,unt.
198	Cacciatore, N.	Del Real Osservatorio di Palermo libre VII, VIII, e IX, I, Palermo	308	1826	EP; EP; G, disc., unt.
40	Cagnoli, A.	Trigonometrie Rectiligne et Spherique 2nd ed, Paris	528	1808	G, f.d., r.a.d.; F-G; G
38	Cassini, J.	Divers Ouvrages d'Astronomie, The Hague	548	1731	P-F,f.d.;P,fd.;G
39	Clairaut, A. C.	Theorie de la Lune, 2nd ed, Paris	162	1765	F-G;P-F;G
88	Clavius, C.	Clavius's Commentary on the Sphericks of Theodosius Tripolitae, London	122	1721	P-F;P-F;F
41	Condamine, C. M. de la	Journal du Voyage fait par ordre du Roi a l'Equateur, Paris	332	1751	G; F-G; G
42	Condamine, C. M. de la	Mesure des Trois Premiers Degre's du Meridien, Paris	294	1751	G; F-G; G
43	Costard, G.	The History of Astronomy, with its application to Geography, History and Chronology, London	325	1767	F-G; F-G; G
49	Cotes, R.	Harmonia Mensurarum, sive Analysis and Synthesis Per Rationum et Angulgrum Mensuras, Cambridge	266	1722	P-F; P-F; G
		Opera Miscellanea.	126
51	Crelle, A. L.	Tables de Calcul ou se trouvent les Mult. 5th ed, Berlin	509	1880	EG; EG; EG
34	Dealtry, W.	The Principles of Fluxions, Cambridge	382	1810	G;F-G,fd.;VG
21	Dealtry, W.	The Principles of Fluxions: 2nd ed, Cambridge	472	1816	VP; VP, fd.; G, unt.
46	De1ambre, J. B. J.	Astronomie Theorique et Pratique I	650	1814	P-F, a.d.; F-G; G
47	Delambre, J. B. J.	Astronomie Theorique et Pratique II	623	1814	F,f.d.;G;G
48	Delambre, J. B. J.	Astronomie Theorique et Pratique III, Paris	720	1814	F,f.a.d.;G;G
166	Delambre, J. B. J.	Histoire de l'Astronomie Moderne I	798	1821	F;F;G
167	Delambre, J. B. J.	Histoire de l'Astronomie Moderne II, Paris	804	1821	F; F; G
104	Delambre, J. B. J.	Histoire de I'Astronomie au Dix-Huitieme Siec1e, Paris	848	1827	F; F-G; G
3	De Rossel,	De la Mesure des Hauteurs par les Observations du Barometre	216
		Traite des Calculs de l'Astronomie Nautique,	192
		Tables d'Astronomie Nautique	58
		(All bound with Traite Elementaire d' Astronomie Phys. III by J.-B. Biot)
36	Descartes, R.	Dioptrice	75		F;F;G
		Explicatio Quatuor Generum Novarum Ovalium	11	1659
		(Both bound with Scriptores Optici by C. Babbage)
65	Dixon, R. V.	A Treatise on Heat. I. The Thermometer; Dilitation; Change of State, Dublin.	298	1849	G; G; G, unt.
64	Du Moncel, T.	Notice sur l'Appareil d'Induction Electrique de Ruhmkorff, Paris	152	1855	VP, a.d.; m; P-F
86	Du Moncel, T.	Notice sur l'Appareil d'Induction Electrique de Ruhmkorff 5th ed, Paris	412	1867	G; VG; VG
97	Euler, L.	Theoria Motuum Planetarum et Cometarum, Berlin	186	1744	P-F,f.a.d.;P-F;G
57	Euler, L.	Introductio in Analysin Infinitorum I. ed nova, Lugduni	336	1797	P;P,fd.;P,unt.
58	Euler, L.	Introductio in Analysin Infinitorum IJ. ed nova, Lugduni	398	1797	P;P;P,unt.
70	Ferguson, J.	Ferguson's Lectures on Select Subjects I. 2nd ed	492	1806	P; P; F-G, unt.
71	Ferguson, J.	Ferguson's Lectures on Select Subjects II. 2nd ed	522	1806	P; P; F, unt.
72	Ferguson, J.	Plates Illustrative of Ferguson's Lectures 2nd ed, Edinburgh	50 pI	1806	VP, a.d.; EP; F, unt.
109	Firmicus Maternus, J.	Astronomicorum Libri octo integri, I	8 chps	1499	P, d.; VP; VG
110	Firmicus Maternus, J.	Astronomicorum Libri octo integri, II Venice	5 chps	1499	G; VG; VG
204	Flamsteed, J.	Historiae Coelestis Britannicae I,	468	1725	P,f.a.d.;P; G,disc.
205	Flamsteed, J.	Historiae Coelestis Britannicae II,	646	1725	P-G; P-G; G
206	Flamsteed, J.	Historiae Coelestis Britannicae III,	430	1725	P;P;G,sl.disc.
207	Flamsteed, J.	Atlas Coelestis, London	10+27pl	1781	EP,f.d.;EP;G
136	Forbes, J. D.	Sur l'Eclipse Totale de Soleil du 8 Juillet 1842	8	1843
		(Bound with Etudes d' Astronomie Stellaire by F. G. W. Strove)
90	Fuller, S.	Practical Astronomy; in the Description and Use of both Globes, Orrery and Telescopes, Dublin	248	1732	F; F; G
84	Galilei, G.	0pere di Galileo Galilei, Bologna	790	1656	F;F;G
		Serenissimo Gran Duca	3	1656
		Carlo Manolessi	4
		Le Operationi del Compasso Geometrico,	4	1656
		Prima Divisione della Linea,	48
		Annotationi di Mattia Bernaggeri	48	1655
		Usus et Fabrica Circini	86	1655
		Difesa di Galileo Galilei	80	1655
		Discorso al Serenissimo don Cosimo II 2nd ed	70	1655
		Della Scienza Mecanica e delle Utilita	30	1655
		Tavola de Capitoli	10
		Discorso Apologetico di Lodovico	58	1655
		Considerationi di M. Vincentio de Gratia.	70	1655
		Risposta alle Oppositioni del Sig. Lodovico delle Colombe e del Sig. Vincenzo de Gratia,	266	1655
56	Gardiner, W.	Tables of Logarithms, London	244	1742	P-F; P-F; VG
188	Gray, P.	Tables for the formation of Logarithms and Anti-Logarithms, London	94	1876	G; G; VG
36	Gregorio, J.	0ptica Promota, London	104	1663
		(Bound with Scriptores Optici by C. Babbage)
66	Gregory, O.	A Treatise of Mechanics I	568	1806	F-G;G;G
67	Gregory, O.	A Treatise of Mechanics II	524	1806	F-G; G; G
68	Gregory, O.	Plates Illustrative of Gregory's Treatise, London	55 pl	1806	F; F-G; G
152	Hachette, J.N.P.	Traite Elementaire des Machines, Paris	324	1811	F;VP;F
55	Halley, E.	Astronomical Tables with Precepts both in English and Latin for computing the Places of the Sun, Moon, London	386	1752	G,f.a.d.;G;G
36	Halley, E.	An Instance of the Excellence of Modern Algebra, (Bound with Scriptores Optici by C. Babbage)	8	1693
93	Hamilton, H.	De Sectionibus Conicis, Dublin	220	1758	F;F;G
122	Hamilton, W. R.	Lectures on Quaternions, Dublin	866	1853	G;G;G-VG
125	Hargreave, C.I.	An Essay on the Resolution of Algebraic Equations, Dublin	134	1866	G; G, fd.; VG
126	Hart, A. S.	An Elementary Treatise on Hydrostatics and Hydrodynamics, Dublin	164	1846	F-G; F-G; G
201	Herschel, J. F. W.	A Manual of Scientific Enquiry, 2nd ed, London	515	1851	G; G; G, unt.
		Astronomy (G. B. Airy)	10	1851
		Magnetism (E. Sabine)	20	1851
		Hydrography (F. W. Beechey)	45	1851
		Tides (Whewell)	17	1851
		Geography (W. J. Hamilton)	35	1851
		Geology (C. Darwin)	39	1851
		Earthquakes (R. Mallet)	32	1851
		Mineralogy (H. de la Beche)	43	1851
		Meteorology (J. F. W. Herschel)	51	1851
		On Atmospheric Waves and Barometric Curves (W. R. Birt)	20	1851
		Zoology (R. Owen)	59	1851
		Botany (W. Hooker)	21	1851
		Ethnology J. C. Prichard)	18	1851
		Medicine and Medical Statistics (A. Bryson)	20	1851
		Statistics (G. R. Porter)	20	1851
		Appendices	56	1851
186	Herschel, J.F.W.	Light and Sound	385		G;G;VG
		Telescope	29	1859
		On the Algebraic Expression of the Number of Partitions of which a given number is susceptible	24	1850
		On the Formulae investigated by Brinkley for the general term in the Development of Lagrange's expression for the Summation of Series.	3	1860
		Note by A. Cayley on the foregoing paper
		Instantaneous Photography	1	1860
		Answers to Scientific Questions on Light Houses	4	1860
		Light	246	1827
		Sound	78	1830
124	Herschel, J. F. W.	Outlines of Astronomy 6th ed, London	714	1859	G-VG; G-VG; VG
129	Herschel, J. F.W.	The Telescope, Edinburgh	198	1861	P;P,fd.;P
105	Hevel, J.	Selenographia; Sive, Lunae Descriptio,	586	1647	F;G;VG
		Epistolae IV, Gedani	86	1654	F; G; VG
102	Hill, J.	A New Astronomical Dictionary, London	618	1768	F,d.;P-F;G
94	Hirsch, M.	Integral Tables, or a collection of integral formulae, London	310	1823	P-F, a.d.; VP; VG
101	Hooke, R.	Philosophical Experiments and Observations, London	404	1726	VP, d.; P; G
190	Horrebow, P.	Operum Mathematico-Physicorum I,	414	1740	f.P,r.m.;P;P-G,unt.
191	Horrebow, P.	Operum Mathematico-Physicorum Il,	514	1741	P;VP;P-G,unt.
192	Horrebow, P.	Operum Mathematico-Physicorum III, Havniae	438	1741	P;VP;P-G,unt.
182	Hutton, C.	Tables of the Products and Powers of Numbers, London	110	1781	VP; VP; G
184	Hutton, C.	Scriptores Logarithmici, I, London	526	1791	EP;m.;G,unt.
		Chilias Logarithmorum. (J. Kepler)	92	1624
		Supplementum Chiliadis Logarithmorum (J. Kepler)	74	1625
		Logarithmo-Technia : (N. Mercator)	30	1668
		Michalis Angeli Riccii Exercitatio Geometrica	16	1668
		An Extract from the third volume of the Phil.Trans. (H. Oldenburg)	6	1668
		Another Extract from the Phil. Trans., No.38 (J. Wallis and N. Mercator)	14	1668
		Remarks on two Infinite Series. (F. Maseres)	112
		An Appendix to the foregoing remarks on the two logarithmick serieses of Mercator and Wallis	39
		(All bound with Scriptores Logarithmici; I by C. Hutton)
185	Hutton, C.	Scriptores Logarithmici, II. London	604	1791	EP;m.;G,unt.
		Extracts from James Gregory's Exercitationes Geometricae, London	4	1668
		Analogia inter Lineam Meridianam Planispherii Nautici, (J. Gregory)	10
		Methodus componendi Tabulas Tangentium, (J. Gregory)	3
		Letter from J. Gregory to Mr. John Collins	2	1670/1
		Other Extracts from Collins's Commercium Epistolicum;	2
		Letter from I. Newton to H. Oldenburgh	1	1676
		Letter from G. W. Leibnitz to H. Oldenburgh	2	1676
		Letter from I. Newton to H. Oldenburgh	5	1676
		Twelfth Chapter of Wallis's Treatise of Algebra : Of Logarithms, their Invention and Use	8	1685
		Letter from Wallis to R. Norris	7	1686
		Logarithmotechnia, (E. Speidell)	32	1688
		An easy Demonstration of the Analogy of the Logarithmic Tangents to the Meridian Line. (E. Halley)	9	1695/6
		A most compendious and facile Method of constructing the Logarithms, (E. Halley)	8	1695
		Notes on some of the more difficult Passages of the foregoing Discourse of E. Halley (F. Maseres)	31
		Appendix to the foregoing tract of E. Halley upon Logarithms (F. Maseres)	30
		A Demonstration of Newton's Binomial Theorem, (F. Maseres)	17
		A Demonstration of Newton's Binomial Theorem, (J. Landen)	6	1758
		An Explanation of the foregoing Demonstration of the Binomial Theorem, by J. Landen (F. Maseres)	18
		A Discourse concerning the Binomial Theorem, (F. Maseres)	149
		A Discourse concerning Newton's Residual Theorem, (F. Maseres)	34
		A Method of Extending Cardan's Rule. (F. Maseres)	60
		A Method of Extending Cardan's Rule. (F. Maseres)	133
		A Conjecture concerning the Method by which Cardan's Rule. (F. Maseres)	8	1780
		An Appendix to the Tract contained in the foregoing part of this second volume of Mathematical Tracts, pp. 153-169	5
		(All bound with Scriptores Logarithmici; II, by C. Hutton)
85	Hutton, C.	Mathematical Tables 6th ed	554	1822	P-F; P-F; G
96	Hutton, C.	Mathematical Tables 7th ed	436	1834	F;P-F;F-G
92	Hutton, C.	Mathematical Tables 11th ed, London	436	1849	P-F, d.; F;G
36	Huyghens, C.	Traite de la Lumiere	70	1690
		Des Figures des Corps Diaphanes Leiden	17	1690
		De Figuris Corporum Diaphanorum Amsterdam	15	1728
		(All bound with Scriptores Optici by C. Babbage)
123	Hymers, J.	The Elements of the Theory of Astronomy 2nd ed, Cambridge	362	1840	F-G; F; G
112	Kepler, J.	Tabulae Rudolphinae, Ulm	256	1627	P-F; P-F; F-G
127	Lacroix, S. F.	Traite Elementaire de Calcul Differentiel 2nd ed, Paris	620	1806	P-F; F-G; F-G
1l7	Lacroix, S. F.	Elemens d'Algebre 9th ed,	372	1811	F,f.a.d.;G;G
		Complement des Elemens d'Algebre, 3rd ed, </