"Our Puny Earth!"

JF Ptak Science Books  Quick Post

Hutchinson's Splendour of the heavens; a popular authoritative astronomy, by Theodore Philips and William Steavenson, was a splendid popular work filled with fine images, some of which were rather unusual.  One that I thought I had to share was the f=one below, which contains the first time that I have seen the phrase "Our Puny Earth!" in a non-comic book.  It is also a nice graphical display of data underneath the "puny Earth" bit--enjoy. 

 

[Source: Internet Archive,  https://archive.org/stream/hutchinsonssplen01philuoft#page/418/mode/thumb]

And I just could not leave this one stay--the "Earth and Moon "hanging" in space:

[Source: Internet Archive, https://archive.org/stream/hutchinsonssplen01philuoft#page/418/mode/thumb]

Here's the review of the newly published book in Nature, 1924:

"Hutchinson's Splendour of the Heavens: a popular authoritative Astronomy" by A. L. Cortie.

Abstract

THE publishers are to be congratulated on their enterprise, and the editors, the Rev. T. E. R. Phillips and Dr. W. H. Steavenson, on their ability, in bringing to a successful completion this very fine serial of astronomical science. It is, too, a gratifying sign of the general interest that is taken in astronomy that such a compendium of the science should have been called for. It extends to no less than 976 pages of letterpress, and includes about 1000 illustrations. These latter are the distinguishing mark of the serial, which makes it unique among all other books on astronomy. The title “The Splendour of the Heavens” is fully justified, for the illustrations are lavish and most beautiful, including reproductions of the finest of modern celestial photographs in all departments of the science. It is a delight merely to turn over the pages and. to study the pictures."--[Source: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v113/n2851/abs/113884a0.html]