Herschel (Sir John F. W.) Collection of 69 offprints, extracts and separate publications by Herschel, bound for his son, William James Herschel, 3 vol., including offprints of his most important publications on photography, astronomy, mathematics, electricity and magnetism, and light, many with authorial annotations, engraved plates, initialed presentation inscription from the author to his son "W.J. Herschel, From his affectionate Father JWH" on preserved front free endpaper to vol. 3, vol. 2 'Observations of the Apparent Distances and Positions of 380 Double and Triple Stars' pp.1-402 with 40 x 18mm. hole cut into inner-margin (not affecting title or text), publications to second half of vol. 3 window mounted, each work numbered on title or first page in blue pencil, some light damp-staining, some spotting and light browning, vol. 3 upper hinge broken, later dark green half morocco, spines gilt and with double red morocco labels, spines and corners rubbed, some endpapers preserved, 4to, [1813-50].

⁂ An extraordinary collection, including offprints of Herschel's three most important publications on photography: ‘On the chemical action of the rays of the solar spectrum on preparations of silver and other substances’, ‘On the action of the rays of the solar spectrum on vegetable colours, and on some new photographic processes’ and ‘On certain improvements on photographic processes’. Rare offprints from the Philosophical Transactions for 1840, 1842 & 1843, the first two with some authorial annotations in pencil.

Among the mathematical works are several on the ‘calculus of operators’, as well as Herschel’s corrected page proofs of a very important article on the theory of probability which was read by James Clerk Maxwell and led him to lay the foundations of statistical mechanics. The astronomy papers include an offprint of Herschel’s great catalogue of 380 double stars (i.e., binary stars). All of the offprints are rare, with most either not listed in Worldcat, or listed in only a handful of copies.

The marginal hole mentioned in the description is explained in a loosely inserted autograph note, probably in William J. Herschel’s hand, which indicates that seven diamonds were at one time secreted in this hole, and that they were lost, and then found, in the autumn of 1898 (sadly, the diamonds are no longer present). The inserted note reads: "The '7' Diamonds taken out to go to New Lodge, 24 September Saturday 1898 – and replaced 8 October 1898. I put this note in their place when taking them out to go to N[ew] Lodge – & recollect nothing more of what I did with them till on M[onda]y morning as I woke – I found I did not know. Concluded after careful thought that I must have put them in my fob, & have taken them out unwittingly with a £5 note at the R[ailwa]y ticket office – spent £44 on advert – & an agent – & on 8 Oct. they were restored to me 'found on platform'".

Provenance: John Herschel (presentation inscription); William James Herschel (1833-1917; ink ownership stamp to first title/page of each vol.; loosely inserted note in his hand described above); Dr. Sydney Ross (1915-2013, leading chemist and bibliophile, former Professor of Colloid Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, published a 590-page annotated Catalogue of the Herschel Library in 2001; book-label to pastedowns).