Wheelwright of the heavens : the life and work of James Ferguson, FRS

A biography of James Ferguson (1710-1776). Covers his early life as a shepherd, his natural talent as a portrait artist and builder of mechanical models. Ferguson moved to London where he developed a career as a popular science lecturer and went on later in life to write a number of books and tour the country giving lectures. He was also gifted in making mechanical models and built a number of examples for his lectures, something which also led to him building scientific instruments, clocks and telescopes. His scientific career developed when he applied more formal methods to his own research that led to him becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society and something of a consultant on a number of scientific subjects, including optics and electricity. The book also covers his personal life (wife, children, family tree). There are a number of appendices covering publications, manuscripts, portraits, globes and more. Also present is a complete set of notes and references.