John Flamsteed played a leading role in English astronomy for nearly half a century, from his appointment as `astronomical observator' to Charles II and first director of the new Royal Observatory at Greenwich, in 1675, through five successive reigns until his death on the last day of 1719. The Observatory's innovative instruments enabled him to plot the movements of the heavenly bodies with unprecedented accuracy, but he was also in correspondence with other astronomers, participating in the controversies of the day and caught up in a lengthy rivalry with Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley - reflected in the complex publishing history of the Historia Coelestis, detailed here. This book confirms Flamsteed's achievements as astronomer, mathematician, instrument maker and writer on optics, and also discusses more personal issues such as his relations with the Royal Society, his pursuit of professional recognition, and the friction between him and his eventual successor Halley.
FRANCES WILLMOTH gained her Ph.D. for her biography of Flamsteed's patron, Sir Jonas Moore. Contributors: JIM BENNETT, FRANCES WILLMOTH, MORDECHAI FEINGOLD,ADRIAN JOHNS, HESTER HIGTON, ROB ILIFFE, IAN G. STEWART, OWEN GINGERICH, ALAN COOK, WILLIAM J. ASHWORTH, ADAM PERKINS