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1645 - Astronomy Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons & Company.
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Estimate €400 - €600
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Description
Astronomy Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons & Company. Astronomical & Optical Instruments. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons & Co., 1926. . 48 pp. 46 autotypes, some full-page, mounted on plates and based on photographs, plus a folded plate. 4° illustrated publisher’s paperback (original cover). Corners slightly bumped, otherwise in good condition. Marked ‘Publication No. 1’. – Enclosed is a loose sheet: ‘Extract of report from the Central Russian Observatory at Pulkovo on the 1-metre reflector at Simeis, South Russia’. Published in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1926, this company brochure documents the range of products offered by the long-established telescope and optics workshop Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons & Co. The company was founded in 1925 when the engineer Sir Charles Algernon Parsons took over the insolvent business of the Irish optical pioneer Sir Howard Grubb and, in honour of the company’s founder, continued it under a new name in a purpose-built factory in Heaton near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Grubb himself, whose workshop traced its origins back to the Grubb Telescope Company founded in Dublin in 1833 by his father Thomas Grubb, had previously built refracting and reflecting telescopes for observatories all over the world, including Tulse Hill, Oxford, Vienna, Hyderabad, Cape Town – and Simeis in southern Russia. Marked as ‘Publication No. 1’, this catalogue apparently marks the first official sales catalogue of the newly formed company and thus dates from the immediate founding phase of Grubb Parsons, which was later to become one of Britain’s most significant telescope manufacturers (including, amongst others, the Isaac Newton Telescope, the Anglo-Australian Telescope and the William Herschel Telescope). Of particular documentary value is the enclosed loose sheet containing an extract from the report by the Pulkovo Central Russian Observatory on the 1-metre reflector at the Simeis Observatory in the Crimea. This British telescope was installed in 1926 on Mount Koschka near Simeis and was regarded at the time as the most powerful reflector in Europe. The Simeis Observatory had been affiliated with the Pulkovo Observatory near Saint Petersburg as an astrophysical field station since 1908; a favourable test report from this renowned Russian observatory on the instrument supplied by Grubb Parsons was a significant reference document for the young company and was accordingly included as an advertising insert in the catalogue. - Richly illustrated with mounted autotypes, the catalogue presents the company’s entire product range – from large-format astronomical mirrors and lenses to precision optical instruments – through large-format photographic reproductions, supplemented by a fold-out technical chart. As an early company brochure from the founding period of Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons & Co., still in its original cover and featuring the rare contemporary insert on the Simeis telescope, this copy represents a rare testament to the history of British astronomical instrument-making in the early 20th century. Astronomy. – This company brochure, published in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1926, documents the range of products from the venerable telescope and optical workshop Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons & Co. The firm was established in 1925, when the engineer Sir Charles Algernon Parsons took over the insolvent business of the Irish optical pioneer Sir Howard Grubb and continued it under a new name, in honour of the company’s founder, at a purpose-built workshop in Heaton near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Grubb himself, whose workshop traced its origins back to the Grubb Telescope Company founded in Dublin in 1833 by his father, Thomas Grubb, had previously built refracting and reflecting telescopes for observatories around the world, including Tulse Hill, Oxford, Vienna, Hyderabad, Cape Town – and Simeis in southern Russia. Marked ‘Publication No. 1’, this catalogue apparently represents the newly formed company’s first official sales catalogue, placing it in the immediate founding period of Grubb Parsons, a firm that would later rank amongst Britain’s foremost telescope manufacturers (producing, amongst others, the Isaac Newton Telescope, the Anglo-Australian Telescope, and the William Herschel Telescope). Of particular documentary value is the accompanying loose leaf containing an extract from the report by the Central Russian Observatory at Pulkovo on the 1-metre reflector at the Simeis Observatory in the Crimea. This British-built telescope was installed on Mount Koshka near Simeis in 1926 and was, at the time, considered the most powerful reflector in Europe. Since 1908, the Simeis Observatory had been affiliated as an astrophysical outstation with the Pulkovo Observatory near St Petersburg; a favourable inspection report from this renowned Russian observatory concerning the instrument supplied by Grubb Parsons constituted an important reference document for the young company and was accordingly included with the catalogue as a promotional supplement. Richly illustrated with mounted autotype plates, the catalogue presents the firm’s entire product range – from large-format astronomical mirrors and lenses to precision optical instruments – through large-format photographic reproductions, complemented by a folding technical plate. As an early company prospectus from the founding period of Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons & Co., still in its original wrappers and accompanied by the rare contemporary supplement on the Simeis telescope, this copy stands as a rare testament to the history of British astronomical instrument-making in the early twentieth century. This lot is subject to standard tax. A 24.95% buyer’s premium is payable on the hammer price, and 7% (Books and Art) or 19% VAT (Manuscripts, Screenprints, Offset Prints, Photographs) is payable on the final invoice amount within the European Union. This lot is subject to the standard tax regime. A 24.95% buyer’s premium applies to the hammer price, and 7% (books and art) or 19% VAT (manuscripts, screen prints, offset prints and photographs) applies to the final invoice amount within the European Union.
See original version (German)
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About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
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Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
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