Book Description

Victorian Telescope Makers is the story of a highly specialized & unusual business enterprise, that of telescope manufacture. Makers of some of the largest & best known telescopes of the Victorian era, the Grubbs of Dublin placed themselves at the forefront of optical & mechanical engineering in a world where continual innovation & improvement were the keys to success. For 95 years Thomas & Howard Grubb, father & son, supplied astronomical instruments to the world. Through extensive use of their original letters & documents Ian Glass has allowed the Grubbs to speak for themselves. The story recounted is of the development of a small leading-edge technology firm from its beginnings in 1830 as a billiard table manufactory to its eventual position as one of the major telescope makers of the Victorian era. The founder of the firm, Thomas Grubb, was an innovator in the field of telescope making & optical design. One of his earliest instruments was, for several years, the largest telescope in the world. Howard, the son, formalized the business, built a new factory & capitalized on the rapid growth of astrophysics. He in turn obtained the contract for the world's largest refractor, the 27 inch centrepiece of the Royal & Imperial Observatory in Vienna. Together, the story of Thomas & Howard Grubb provides an unique insight into a period of rapid growth & innovation in Victorian science. This book will prove fascinating to all those interested in the history of telescope manufacture & of astronomy as well as to students of the Irish past.