The Telescope

The Telescope: A Short History
by Richard Dunn

Click image to enlargeThe history of the telescope is not short. This book offers an overview of the rich history of the telescope, which burst onto the world stage four centuries ago. It traces the development from its invention in the Netherlands in 1608 to its use in the modern world, both on earth and beyond.

Along the way we enter the world of the innovators and adventurers who helped shape the story, discovering how Galileo used the telescope to create his reputation as one of the great scientists of all time, what Isaac Newton was doing with arsenic, and why the most advanced telescopes in the world owe so much to the science of spying. But the real excitement in this book lies in the less familiar stories. You should expect to find out about the dangers of termites, some interesting uses of a well ... and a Model T Ford.

The important development of the telescope as a modest hand-held device, and its impact on culture and society, is covered with as much enthusiasm and interest as the well-known stories of scientific ingenuity.

Richard Dunn trained as a historian of science and has published on subjects including navigation, astrology, scientific instruments and museums. As Curator of the History of Navigation at the National Maritime Museum, he currently works in a superb office in the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1. Before the telescope 
Chapter 2. The birth of the telescope 1608–1700  
Chapter 3. The telescope and the imagination 1608–1700
Chapter 4. The reflecting telescope 1610–1800  
Chapter 5. Perfecting the refractor 1700–1800
Chapter 6. Global domination 1720–1900 
Chapter 7. The telescopic view 1720–1900  
Chapter 8. Telescopes, binoculars and modern life 
Chapter 9. Modern astronomical telescopes 
Epilogue – Looking to the future
The Telescope – a short timeline 
Glossary      
Further Reading     
Acknowledgements
Picture Credits  
Index

‘The telescope’s long evolution to massive radio arrays on Earth and Hubble in space is stylishly narrated in this beautifully produced and illustrated book’
The Guardian

‘A simple instrument, at least to begin with, that transformed our perception of the world . . . and beyond. Richard Dunn's brief history of the Telescope is, quite literally, eye-opening.’
Classic FM

‘It takes a great deal of skill, when you know a lot about a subject, to condense it into a 200-page book that is readable and entertaining while retaining the subject’s integrity, but Dunn has succeeded.’
IET