The Heavens Revealed
In 2003 the Chapin Library mounted an exhibition in honor of Jay M. Pasachoff, Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy at Williams, based largely upon his superb personal collection of rare astronomy books which are kept in the Chapin for use in teaching along with the Library’s own important holdings in the History of Science. A handlist of the exhibits may be read here. It was planned also to publish a more elaborate, bibliographical catalogue of the Pasachoff collection, including a series of essays by Jay’s friends and colleagues about the books and their significance, and this is still our intent. Circumstances, however, having delayed completion of a printed book so far, we have now posted the essays, short-title lists of the Pasachoff volumes and of selected astronomical works in the Chapin Library, a chart of Professor Pasachoff’s travels to observe solar eclipses, and a small selection of photographs on a section of the Chapin website.
We hope that these new pages will encourage members of the Williams community to explore the fascinating materials that lie behind The Heavens Revealed and which may be seen by arrangement in the Chapin Library/College Archives reading room at the Southworth Schoolhouse. – WGH
Shown is the etched title-page by Stefano della Bella for the Dialogo (1632) by Galileo Galilei, from the collection of Jay M. Pasachoff.