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A Creation of His Own - Tappan's Detroit Observatory (Hardcover)
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A Creation of His Own - Tappan's Detroit Observatory (Hardcover)
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The year was 1852. The University of Michigan was about to embark
upon an exciting period of its history, led by one of the most
dynamic, visionary leaders in the history of higher education--and
an observatory was one of his first orders of business. The Detroit
Observatory was completed in 1854 and named to honor the city of
its major benefactors. Reflecting on his great achievement years
later, President Henry Philip Tappan wrote: "I cannot speak of the
Observatory without emotion. No one will deny that it was a
creation of my own."
"A Creation of His Own: Tappan's Detroit Observatory" delves deeply
into the Observatory's early biographical, architectural, and
scientific history. It is a fascinating exploration of the
historical context of Tappan's efforts to implement progressive
educational ideas on the Michigan frontier. Tappan's success in
building the Observatory would result from a magical matching of
scientific and applied interests: Tappan would have his scientific
research laboratory, and the Friends of Science in Detroit would
benefit from the applied uses of astronomical science. The book
provides significant previously unpublished information and over
100 photographs and illustrations that bring to life the
fascinating story of this physical legacy of the University of
Michigan's first President.
Today, the Detroit Observatory is one of the most perfectly
preserved early observatories in the country. Its original 1854
Pistor & Martins meridian circle telescope and astronomical
clock by Tiede, which were purchased by Tappan in Berlin, and the
1857 American-made Henry Fitz refracting telescope are all intact
and operational. The 1997-98 historic restoration of the
Observatory is also chronicled in the book, with photographs and
descriptions of the painstaking work, including the restoration of
the telescopes.
Patricia S. Whitesell, Ph.D., is Director and Curator of the
Detroit Observatory. She is a historian of higher education,
astronomy, and the evolution of the physical campus, and a
specialist in historic preservation.
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