Astronomy student's manuscript

Horne, R[ichard] H[enry]

Rudiments of Astronomy. A schoolboy sketch [cover title]

[London: ca. 1810]. Square manuscript notebook, 7.75" x 6.5"; pp. 20 plus a number of blank pages; seven finely executed illustrations in pen and ink, depicting the solar system, movement of sun spots, the surface of the moon, and so on; paper wrappers, manuscript title on upper cover; wrappers detached, textblock clean and sound, very good. This piece of academic juvenilia is notable mostly for the well-made manuscript illustrations, which are attractive and well done, and augment what otherwise appears to be basic and derivative text, described as being "extracted from different authors." Its creator, Richard Henry Horne, was born in London and educated in Sandhurst, after which he had a short career as a sailor, and later as prolific author, playwright, and commissioner for the Australian territorial government. His most well-known title was Orion, an Epic Poem in Ten Books. Item #60404

Price: $2,500.00