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Post by scotttucker on Jan 28, 2023 10:21:26 GMT -7
I think the old OC had a nice list of planetarium books somewhere. We recently had a bit of a sort out and I gathered my planetarium books together into one place - I realised I have been collecting them for a couple of decades now and although it is an obscure topic the library is slowly building. I have a soft spot for Theatres of the Skies - a small self publish book from the Norman Lockyer obseratory in Sidmouth - it was the first book on the topic that I bought and I remember the excitement of reading it. It has some nice schematics of Goto machines as well as the classic Zeiss diagram that seems to appear in many of them. Of course, anything with Sir Gare in is an instant classic.  |
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Post by scotttucker on Jan 28, 2023 10:22:07 GMT -7
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Post by scotttucker on Jan 28, 2023 11:12:41 GMT -7
The London planetarium souvenir pamphlets come up quite regularly on e-bay and are pretty cheap. I am kind of collecting the progression from each decade's update. I love the artwork on the covers of the 1950s and 60s versions. The 1970s version (yellow) is quite a different style. Hoping to get the 1980s version (my bid of £2 seems to be winning the auction at the moment!)
+ woohooo I have made it to 100 posts!
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Post by Ron Walker on Jan 28, 2023 13:48:06 GMT -7
Great collection! I will try and find the original list and if not start a new one.
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Post by Ron Walker on Jan 31, 2023 10:32:20 GMT -7
Different programs...different ways.
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Post by Ron Walker on Jun 10, 2023 11:14:04 GMT -7
Ken Miller, who has been working with planetariums a lot longer then I have, has been downsizing and divesting himself of much of his planetarium collection. He recently emailed me and asked if I wanted any of his collection of books on the subject of planetariums. I am now the curator of said collection and am slowly removing the various layers of shipping materials. My initial idea was to make a kind of lending library but the more I think about it the less that idea appeals to me (how long would any tome be out and costs of shipping both ways, etc.).
Anyone who comes to the library would be welcome to peruse to their heart's content, but not many people have ever dropped by, from this group anyway. I do intend to read each book and write a review of the materials contained. Many are older and out of copywrite and most are out of print. Newer books are available through most booksellers but the older ones are mostly unavailable. Perhaps the pages should be scanned and placed on a CD.
Any ideas out there?
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Post by scotttucker on Oct 13, 2023 6:28:43 GMT -7
Ken Miller, who has been working with planetariums a lot longer then I have, has been downsizing and divesting himself of much of his planetarium collection. He recently emailed me and asked if I wanted any of his collection of books on the subject of planetariums. I am now the curator of said collection and am slowly removing the various layers of shipping materials. My initial idea was to make a kind of lending library but the more I think about it the less that idea appeals to me (how long would any tome be out and costs of shipping both ways, etc.). Anyone who comes to the library would be welcome to peruse to their heart's content, but not many people have ever dropped by, from this group anyway. I do intend to read each book and write a review of the materials contained. Many are older and out of copywrite and most are out of print. Newer books are available through most booksellers but the older ones are mostly unavailable. Perhaps the pages should be scanned and placed on a CD. Any ideas out there? Hi Ron - I just came across openlibrary.org. As usual you need to sign up (free). It has a copy of Geared to the Stars that you can read for free - in fact you can 'borrow it for up to 14 days'. I was really pleased - as mentioned on an FB group recently it is way to pricey to buy. I think there is a way of getting books scanned in for posterity (not quite sure) which might be a good way of preserving and making available the rare planetarium books. Took a screen shot of one nice photo from it (with A Spitz and Spitz B)  |
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Post by Ron Walker on Oct 13, 2023 9:42:29 GMT -7
When you say "borrow if for up to 14 days" is that borrowed electronically or physically? If electronically, there is a copywrite problem as described below. www.brookings.edu/articles/why-copyright-law-allows-you-to-borrow-a-book-but-not-share-a-digital-song/The only possible way around this is the electronic copy is only available to one person at a time and the original is unavailable to anyone else. The fact that you were able to make a copy of a page makes one wonder if you can make a copy of the entire book. That is probably a no-no and I don't know how openlibrary.org can get by that unless a simple disclaimer the borrower must agree to that they will not copy the file. Not sure if that is enough to satisfy however. |
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Post by scotttucker on Oct 14, 2023 1:20:55 GMT -7
Good points. I got the impression from the user interface and site that they do indeed own a copy and only one version is available at any time- it was part funded by the California state library which suggests legitimacy. Now I am not so sure. Wikipedia sets out the same sort of legal argument position that Ron outlines which sounds ok but the article goes on to list the various legal challenges they have faced. They did get into trouble during Covid for suspending the wait list rule and creating the National Emergency library. I used the 'hour loan' which you can only see via the browser. I think the 14 day loan is managed by Digital Rights Management software where you do download it but it will be removed after the loan period. Maybe it was too good to be true.  |
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Post by scotttucker on Oct 14, 2023 1:23:57 GMT -7
I should have mentioned the photo was a screenshot taken with a snipping tool (of half a photo) rather than a 'real' digital copy
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Post by starsheep on Feb 15, 2024 15:02:37 GMT -7
I do not see my favorite book.
Geared to the Stars by Henry C. King. It is pretty rare. I think only 1000 copies were printed.
Most of my books relate to clockwork automata and watchmaking. Planetariums are technically clockwork automata.
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Post by scotttucker on Feb 16, 2024 0:49:26 GMT -7
Hi Starsheep - I would love to plug that gap in my collection, but at the moment the cheapest copies on this side of the pond are going for over £200.
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Post by starsheep on Feb 16, 2024 13:21:14 GMT -7
Yeah some of these books get expensive.
I loaned my copy of Wheelwright to the Heavens to my mom. It got misplaced. The only copy I could find online was from down under and 100 bucks. Fortunatly my copy turned up again. The real pricey stuff is the 200+ year old books by James Ferguson himself. This was before such had been scanned. A lot of the watchmaking equipment I got was to learn how to cut gears. This has sat Idle for 20 or more years.
Looks like photos need to be hosted. Does make it more difficult to post such, as I use my blog site for such things. I get distracted easy. Not difficult when one has projects to keep busy for at least 500 years! Pipe organs. Even the small ones used on Merry-Go-Rounds take up a lot of space and are LOUD. Is interesting though how all this technology is interconnected. To a lot of people, they can hear the music of the spheres. The primum mobile, is what is at the heart of self playing musical instruments.
I was also a big fan of the late Alan Bromley, who connected the Antikythera device to Babbages computing engine. Which are other obsession of mine. I did get to meet Michael Wright. Ironically I had a printout copy of Vitruivis translation on the back seat of the car. He said it was better in the original Latin.
@clickspring on You Tube puts everyone to shame on reproductions. Duplicating possible 2000 year old methodologies.
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Post by Ron Walker on Feb 16, 2024 15:12:20 GMT -7
I'm surprised you found it for only 200 pounds. The cheapest I ever found it was over $1000. Not sure if it ever sold. I did find a copy in the Rice University Library in Texas and available on line: onesearch.library.rice.edu/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma991008180019705251&context=L&vid=01RICE_INST:RICE&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,geared%20to%20the%20stars&mode=basic&offset=0 I can't imagine another major hobby as my current ones and my house and vehicles constantly requiring attention as they age (not to mention myself), as well as the great world wide web (the best time waster ever devised by man) take all of my time. I must admit that pipe organs are intriguing but I would first need to learn to play a keyboard and I'm afraid my mine isn't as pliable as it once was. Oh well, stick to what I know. I did put together a show for this 100 year of the planetarium and my 10 year anniversary of giving shows in my little planetarium, in which the Antikythera mechanism comes into play. I actually had one person come by to see it. Never put off by such lackluster response, I plan on offering it at least once each month for this entire year. (I am a glutton for punishment.) |
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Post by starsheep on Feb 21, 2024 13:41:14 GMT -7
I bought some new books on eBay this week. Good excuse to test uploading an image hosted on my blogsite  It has been a while since I had to manually upload hosted images to a BBS. One of the books is a catalog of Orrery's I actually bought some watch parts from this seller. The second book is about one of my favorites. One of the most complicated ever made. Calling it a watch is a misnomer, it is about the size of a dinner plate. Not sure if this is the one I saw in the swiss musuem. They had it in the back room in a dusty case. I want to make a watch with an astrolabe star dial for the last 30 or more years. I suspect there will be more on this ... someday ... At the moment I am re learning how to service watches. |
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