The Correspondence of John Flamsteed, the First Astronomer Royal: Volume 3

This third volume of John Flamsteed’s correspondence contains the letters he wrote and received between June 1703 and his death at the end of 1719. It thus completes the three-volume series. The best-known aspect of Flamsteed’s life during this period is his struggle to secure publication of his results; he nevertheless continued to be actively involved in scientific discussions with such friends as James Pounds, Stephen Gray, William Derham and Abraham Sharp. A wider public sought his advice in connection with the Longitude Prize and in the excitement surrounding the total solar eclipse of April 1715; in the latter episode, especially, the continuing distrust and friction between the Astronomer Royal and the Royal Society is revealed.