A CYCLE OF CELESTIAL OBJECTS [ILLUSTRATED]

London: John W. Parker. Very Good with no dust jacket. 1844. First English Edition. Hardcover. B&W Illustrations; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; viiii,[4],516,4pp. ads; xx,560 pages; Numerous text illustrations. Half-titles; publisher's 4-page catalogue at end of Volume 2. 2 volumes. 8vo, modern gilt-lettered black cloth; old institutional stamps on titles. First edition of a classic guide to amateur astronomy. The first volume is a general introduction to the subject; the second, known as the Bedford Catalogue, records 850 objects seen from the author's private observatory at Bedford. A career naval officer, Smyth (1788-1865) devoted his attention to astronomy from 1830 onward. One of his sons was Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819-1900) , astronomer royal for Scotland. BEA, page 1070. Illustrated with a large number of textural engravings and drawings. .