Astronomical Curiosities Gore 1909 First Edition Presentation Copy Rare
 
Astronomical Curiosities Gore 1909 First Edition Presentation Copy Rare illustrated astronomy book in original gilt cloth with top edge gilt and unopened pages.
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
 
Author: John Ellard Gore, M.R.I.A., F.R.A.S.
Title: Astronomical Curiosities: Facts and Fallacies
Publisher: Chatto & Windus, London
Printer: William Clowes and Sons Ltd., London and Beccles.
Year: 1909
Edition: First Edition
Publisher’s Presentation Copy (embossed)
 
Format & Physical Description
 
Original publisher’s blue cloth binding with gilt shooting-star decoration to the front board and gilt lettering with publisher’s device to the spine. Top edge gilt.
 
Illustrated and complete with:
Al-Sufi’s Earthen Jar on page 247
Al-Sufi’s Fishes in Andromeda on page 249
These are historical astronomical diagrams.
 
Pagination: 370 pages (complete)
Dimensions: 19.4 × 13.6 × 3.4 cm
Weight: 422 g
 
Condition Report
 
A well-preserved and attractive first edition example in original decorative astronomical publisher’s cloth.
 
Boards remain firm and structurally sound with light bumping and rubbing to corners, patches of fading and light marking to the cloth, and light rubbing along the long edges of the spine. The gilt shooting-star decoration remains clearly visible. Top edge gilt present.
 
Internally, pages are lightly tanned with expected age-related toning to pastedowns and endpapers. 
 
Several gatherings remain unopened, including pages:
77–80, 93–96, 105-108, 109–112, 169–172, 173-176, 185–188, 189-192, 265–268, 269-272, 281–284, 285-288, 297–300, 301-304
These unopened sections indicate the volume has not been fully read since publication.
 
Remnants of a stationer’s bookseller plate and faint pencil traces remain to the front pastedown and front free endpaper. No further inscriptions present.
 
Page edges remain roughly cut as issued, with occasional small edge creases and minor edge tears not affecting text. Binding remains tight and secure throughout.
 
Embossed Presentation Copy stamp present on the title page.
 
Illustrations complete and present as listed.
 
About the Author
 
John Ellard Gore (1845–1910) was a respected Irish astronomer and Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society whose works helped bring advanced astronomical discussion to a wider readership during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. His publications occupy an important place within the tradition of early popular scientific writing bridging amateur observational astronomy and professional research.
 
About This Work
 
Published in 1909, Astronomical Curiosities: Facts and Fallacies gathers unusual astronomical observations, historical misconceptions, paradoxes, and lesser-known scientific problems drawn from specialist sources rather than general introductory astronomy texts.
 
Gore intended the work to present material rarely discussed in popular treatments of astronomy at the time, making the volume particularly appealing to readers interested in the historical development of astronomical thought.
 
Its inclusion of early constellation traditions derived from the work of the Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi adds further historical interest and scholarly context.
 
Presentation Copy Significance
 
This example bears an embossed Presentation Copy stamp on the title page.
Publisher presentation copies were typically issued for advance review circulation or distribution prior to general retail release and are increasingly sought after by collectors as evidence of early issue status.
 
Such copies represent a scarcer survival category within an already uncommon Edwardian astronomy first edition.
 
Condition Summary
 
Very good antiquarian condition overall
Original decorative gilt publisher’s cloth
First edition
Publisher’s Presentation Copy
Top edge gilt
Illustrations complete
Multiple unopened gatherings
Clean interior
Secure binding
 
Rarity & Collectability
 
First editions of Astronomical Curiosities: Facts and Fallacies are infrequently encountered on the open market, particularly in the original decorative gilt astronomical cloth and retaining top edge gilt.
 
This example is further distinguished by its publisher’s embossed Presentation Copy status and the survival of numerous unopened gatherings indicating minimal handling since publication.
 
Edwardian popular astronomy titles by Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society are increasingly sought after by collectors of early twentieth-century scientific literature, and presentation copies such as this represent a scarcer variant of an already uncommon first edition.
 
A rare and desirable survival in original condition.