Constellation maps
From The Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of the Arts, Sciences, and Literature
Abraham Rees
Philadelphia, 1805
P-278 a and b

Constellation map
From Atlas, Designed to Illustrate the Geography of the Heavens
Elijah Burritt
Hartford, Connecticut, 1835
P-105c
Burritt was one of the most popular American star chart makers. His atlas of charts, accompanied by an informative book on observing the stars, went through numerous editions.

Terrestrial map
A New Map of the World with Captain Cook's Tracks
Robert Sayer
London, 1792
P-110

Broadside print depicting globes and an armillary sphere
Sphaerarum Artificialium Typica Repraesentatio
Unidentified maker
Europe, late 18th century
P-132a

In square case:
Celestial globe
W. & A. K. Johnson
Edinburgh & London, 1879
A-47

In rectangular case:
Pocket globe
(terrestrial, with celestial case)
John Newton
London, 1817
W-53

Pocket globe
(terrestrial, with celestial case)
Unidentified maker
England, 1775
W-55

Astronomy with the Naked Eye
Garrett Putman Serviss
New York, 1908

Atlas, Designed to Illustrate the Geography of the Heavens
Elijah Burritt
Hartford, Connecticut, 1833

Six Maps of the Stars
The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
London, 1833
In 1826, the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge began the task of public education in the principles of natural science, including astronomy, by printing science books and atlases. They believed that science was the most useful and beneficial knowledge for the improvement of individuals and of society.

Astronomy from a Dipper
Eliot C. Clarke
Boston, 1909

Broadside poster
A True Representation of the Annular Eclipse of the Sun
Unidentified Maker
England, 1764
P-28

Broadside poster
Astronomy!
Unidentified maker
Lowell, Massachusetts, 1838
P-29

Broadside poster
Popular Lectures on Astronomy
Unidentified maker
American or European, 19th century
P-30

Broadside poster
Grand Exhibition of Russell's Planetarium
Unidentified maker
Boston, 1844
P-47

Broadside poster
Astronomical Lectures, on the Dioastrodoxon; or Grand Transparent Orrery
Unidentified maker
Salisbury, England, 1795
P-148

Artist's print
The Philosopher Reading a Lecture on the Orrery
William Pether after Joseph Wright of Derby
London, 1768
P-130c

Broadside print
The Complete Orrery Described
Samuel Dunn
London, 1780
P-259

Blank membership certificate
Chicago Astronomical Society
Chicago, 1875
P-191
The Chicago Astronomical Society, the oldest in the US and perhaps the second oldest in the world, was founded in 1862 to improve the young city's reputation as a cultural and scientific center. It originally assembled together both professional and amateur astronomers. Perhaps its most significant accomplishment was the construction of the Dearborn Observatory and the commissioning of the 18.5-inch Alvan Clark refractor, at that time the largest in the world and now on display in the Adler Planetarium exhibit, From the Night Sky to the Big Bang.

In square case:

Celestial Globe
Denoyer-Geppert
Chicago, 1930
G-31
Denoyer-Geppert, an important maker of globes, donated this celestial globe to Philip Fox, the Adler's first director, to commemorate the opening of the Adler Planetarium in 1930. This globe depicts the constellations in a new, geometric style, without the decoration of mythological figures that earlier globes exhibited.

In rectangular case:
Orrery
W & S Jones
London, 1807-1845
W-83
W & S Jones sold many styles of orreries, but few more interesting than this style. It came with one set of attachments for demonstrating the sun / earth / moon system, and another for showing all the known planets, their moons, and the newly discovered asteroids.

Tellurian
J. Felkl
Prague, c. 1900
A-385
With a burning candle playing the role of the sun, this tellurian could demonstrate several important concepts: the seasonal changes in sunlight, monthly phases of the moon, and the concept of lunar and solar eclipses.

Copernican armillary sphere
Unidentified maker
France, 1846
W-208
Copernican armillaries highlighted the names and locations of the solar system's planets and asteroids, disregarding the sizes of their orbits. This one, made in the year Neptune was discovered, includes a label for "Taurus," a name apparently proposed for the new planet. This model was, then, intended to show the very latest astronomical discoveries.

Copernican armillary sphere
Unidentified maker
France, c. 1750
A-238
Traditional armillary spheres demonstrated the seasonal changes of the sun and stars. The new, Copernican-style models retained some of the classical look, but not its function. Still, it demonstrated the new world system.

A Catalogue of Optical, Mathematical, and Philosophical Instruments
W. & S. Jones
London, 1815
The W & S Jones firm distributed this 1815 catalog listing many of the scientific instruments and objects they offered for sale for a wide range of budgets and educational settings. Sales catalogues are extremely rare artifacts as they were designed to be thrown away when they became out of date.

The Description and Use of Both the Globes, the Armillary Sphere, and Orrery
Benjamin Martin
London, 1765
Benjamin Martin, one of the most well-known science popularizers in the 18th century, not only built scientific instruments for popular use but also wrote books to help people use them and to learn about the scientific knowledge they could demonstrate.

A New Treatise on the Use of Globes; or, A Philosophical View of the Earth and Heavens
Thomas Keith
New York, 1832
Keith's textbook provided instruction on how to use terrestrial and celestial globes in order to demonstrate problems in astronomy, geography, and concepts dealing with time.

A Key to Keith's Treatise on the Use of Globes
C. Vines
London, 1820
Vines's answer key to Keith's globe textbook enabled people to learn at their own pace or to be confident in the accuracy of their own demonstrations to others.

In square case:
Paper celestial globe
Globe Céleste Portatif
F. L. Ch. Keller
Stuttgart, Germany, c. 1850
P-119

Pocket telescope
William Harris
London, c. 1830
N-60
The discovery of Uranus in 1781, and of several asteroids in the early years of the 19th century, made astronomy ever more popular. Most telescopes for popular audiences, whether fitted on stands or sized to fit in pockets, offered little hope of seeing much. Pocket telescopes served as wonderful novelties that launched many polite conversations.

Pocket tellurian
Richard Ebsworth
London, 1825
W-51

Paper Ptolemaic armillary sphere
(fully constructed version is a reproduction)
Jonathan Marshall
London, 1787
W-245
Much like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, the pieces to this paper armillary sphere came unassembled in an envelope and needed to be put together to form the instrument.

Walking stick telescope
W. Nelson
Dublin, c. 1845
A-56
The top half of this walking stick, made perhaps for an Irish gentlemen ca 1850, transforms into a telescope, readily accessible for observing the sky or, more likely, interesting terrestrial scenes.

Mechanical calculator
TEP Manufacturing Co. Inc.
Detroit, 1916-1918
A-389

Uranographie, ou contemplation du ciel, à la portée de tout le monde (Atlas, or Contemplation of the Sky, to be Carried Everywhere)
Augustin Darquier de Pellepoix
Paris, 1780

The Solar System (in two volumes)
Religious Tract Society
London, 19th century

Himmels-Atlas (Sky-Atlas)
C. G. Riedig
Leipzig, Germany, 1849

In rectangular case:
Astronomical lantern
James Clarke
Boston, c. 1900
A-393

Anamorphoscope
Unidentified maker
England, c. 1800
M-419

Anamorphoscope
Unidentified maker
American or European, 18th century
M-418

Geometric solids
Unidentified maker
England, c. 1850
A-363
Students of the past, like those today, manipulated wooden models of geometric shapes to learn about mathematics, rock crystals, and the orbits of astronomical bodies.

Astronomy atlas in transparent cards
Verldsbyggnaden: Populär Astronomï ï Transparenta Taflor
Albert Bonnier
Stockholm, Sweden, 1862

Conversation card set
Urania, a Pack of Astronomical Conversation Cards
The Misses Price
London, c. 1850

Flashcard set
Astronomia
F. C. Moon
London, 1829

Flashcard set
Urania's Mirror
Jehoshaphat Aspin
London, 1825

Flashcard set
The Elements of Astronomy and Geography
The Abbé Paris
London, 1795

In rectangular case:
Starfinder
Henry Whitall
Philadelphia, 1871
A-307

Starfinder
Leon Barritt and Garrett P. Serviss
New York, 1906
A-311

Starfinder
C. S. Hammond & Company
New York, c. 1930
A-309

Starfinder
George Philip and Son
London, c. 1900
A-360

Refracting telescope
W & S Jones
London, 1832
N-67
Owning a telescope enabled motivated learners to see for themselves the cosmic wonders described in books. This telescope has interchangeable eyepieces and may have been used by a particularly knowledgeable backyard astronomer.

Telescope Teachings: A Familiar Sketch of Astronomical Discovery
Mary Ward
London, 1859
One of several books written by women in this exhibit, Mary Ward sought to appeal to a younger audience.

New Elements of Optics; or, The Theory of Aberrations, Dissipation, and Colours of Light
Benjamin Martin
London, 1859
Science popularizers, such as Benjamin Martin, wrote texts on new astronomical knowledge as well as the mechanical and optical operations of scientific tools, such as telescopes.

Les terres du ciel (The Lands of the Sky)
Camille Flammarion
Paris, 1877
In many of his popular books, Camille Flammarion enthusiastically promoted, described, and imaginatively portrayed his view that life abounds throughout the solar system.

Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes (Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds)
Joseph Jerome Le Français de Lalande
Paris, 1826
Lalande's edition of Fontennelle's popular 17th-century Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds kept alive discussions about the presence of life on planets surrounding our sun and those orbiting other stars.

The Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature, plates vol. 1
Abraham Rees
Philadelphia, 1810-1824

Cyclopaedia; or, An Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, vol. 6
Ephraim Chambers
London, 1786
The first encyclopedia of science appeared due to the efforts of Ephraim Chambers (1680-1740) under the title Cyclopaedia: Or, An Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. Several editions brought the work to nonspecialist audiences, particularly in England and France. The original project of its translation into French eventually led to the production of the famous Encyclopédie and, indeed, the encyclopedic movement of the eighteenth century.

In square case:
A Compendious System of Astronomy in a Course of Familiar Lectures
Margaret Bryan
London, 1797
Through her lectures (readings), Margaret Bryan became one of the most well-known female popularizers of science ca 1800. The frontispiece shows Bryan with her daughters. Bryan not only wrote books for a popular audience, but also tutored pupils.

The Mythological Astronomy of the Ancients
Samson Arnold Mackey
Norwich, England, 1824
Mackey, a shoemaker (as he proudly proclaims on the title page), represents an increasing group of amateur astronomers who published their own books.

L'Enfant Geographe (The Child Geographer)
Carpentier
Paris, 1777
One of the smallest books in the Adler's collection and designed specifically to fit into a child's palm, this volume teaches not only about geography, but about astronomy as well. The two subjects were often taught together at this time.

The Newtonian System of Philosophy, Explained by Familiar Objects, in an Entertaining Manner, for the Use of Young Ladies and Gentlemen
Tom Telescope (William Magnet and Oliver Goldsmith)
London, 1798

Astronomie des Dames (Astronomy for Ladies)
Joseph Jerome Le Français de Lalande
Paris, 1795
Lalande, a well-known French astronomer, targeted this introductory volume on astronomy to address the needs of women who wished to educate themselves.

The Beauty of the Heavens
Charles F. Blunt
London, 1840
Blunt's elegant illustrations were state-of-the-art at the time. This elaborate book with its many plates would have been considered a high-end, "coffee-table" book that owners would show off to their friends.

The Mechanism of the Heavens
Denison Olmstead
London, 1853

Astronomie pour la jeunesse (Astronomy for Youth)
Arnaud Berquin
Paris, 1852

Astronomie et météorologie à l'usage des jeunes personnes (Astronomy and Meteorology for the Use of Young People)
Sophia Ulliac-Trémadeure
Paris, 1854

Smith's Illustrated Astronomy
Asa Smith
Boston, 1849
Smith's popular book shows, in this illustration, the new planets of Herschel (Uranus) and Leverrier (Neptune), both named after their discoverers.

The Sidereal Heavens and Other Subjects Connected with Astronomy
Thomas Dick
New York, 1855
Thomas Dick wrote several very popular introductory astronomy books. Whereas many focused on planets as other worlds, inhabited worlds in Dick's view, this volume was unusual in its concentration on the starry realm.

History of Physical Astronomy from the Earliest Ages to the Middle of the 19th Century
Robert Grant
London, 1852
Grant's History of Astronomy provided an excellent background for those who wished to delve more deeply into the origins of astronomy.

Outlines of Astronomy
John F. W. Herschel
London, 1871
John Herschel, the most celebrated British astronomer of the mid-1800s, summarized the state of astronomical knowledge in his Outlines of Astronomy, which went through 11 English editions and appeared in several languages, including Chinese and Russian.

Elements of Astronomy
Simon Newcomb
New York, 1900
Though he had no formal education as a child, Simon Newcomb was appointed to the US Naval Observatory and became professor of mathematics at Johns Hopkins. Putting aside his technical expertise, he wrote one of the most popular introductory astronomy textbooks.

Astronomy
George Frederick Chambers
New York, 1913

Recreations in Astronomy
Henry White Warren
New York, 1879

An Atlas of Astronomy
Robert S. Ball
New York, 1892

In the Parlor:
Terrestrial map
The First Principles of Astronomy and Geography Made Easy...
Benjamin Martin
London, 1757
P-100