Milestones of Science Books

FAUTH, Philipp.

Grosser Mond-Atlas.

Bremen: Olbers-Gesellschaft, 1964.

1st Edition. No Binding. Near Fine. Item #002119

28 folding sheets of lunar maps (22 of large size 695 x 695 mm, and 6 smaller sheets, double-page and printed in red and black), separate volume of 38 pages explanatory text ("Erläuterungen zum Fauth'schen Mondatlas"). Original papercard folding box with publisher's pictorial label on front cover, an inserted pocket for the text volume, and the original ties present. Generally very clean and bright with only very minor soiling and wear. ----

FIRST EDITION OF FAUTH'S MAGNUM OPUS, PUBLISHED POSTUMOUSLY BY HIS SON, HERMANN. One of the most renowned and meticulous lunar observers of the time, Fauth was the last great lunar cartographer to rely principally on visual observations. "The depth of understanding of the nature of lunar topography demonstrated by Fauth was superior to that possessed by the majority of his contemporaries. The morphology revealed by his methodical measurements of the depth-to-diameter ratios of hundreds of lunar craters and the slopes of their exterior and interior walls led him to reject the prevailing volcanic theories of the origin of lunar craters." (Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers I, p. 360). Based on observations from 1911 until his death in 1941 using his 15 1/2 inch refractor first at Landstuhl in the Rhineland and later in Bavaria, his great lunar atlas was finally completed and published in 1964 by his son Hermann. "Fauth was a master of careful observation, his drawings of lunar formations were superb, both in their representation and accuracy, and he quickly became well respected in astronomical circles ... Fauth continued to rise in the esteem of the astronomical community, particularly in Germany, his 600 page treatise (Our Moon) was published in 1936, and remains his best known work outside Germany. His Lunar Atlases of 1895 and 1936 [sic] are testimony to his skill and perseverance as an observer" (Nigel Langshaw, The Small Collection of Important Selenographical Works Held by the Manchester Astronomical Society). Drawn on a scale of 1:1,000,000, the map would assemble to a diameter of 3:50 meters. The final sheet contains four segments, numbered 25a to 25d, with numbers 13, 17, and 21 omitted due to overlaps between the areas depicted. Completed in 1936, the smaller map, in six segments, is on a scale of 1:1,400,000. - Visit our website to see more images!

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