A01=Martin Griffiths
Author_Martin Griffiths
Category=DNBT
Category=PDX
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_science
Harris
Joseph
Product details
- ISBN 9781837723003
- Dimensions: 138 x 216mm
- Publication Date: 15 Oct 2025
- Publisher: University of Wales Press
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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Joseph Harris, elder brother of the methodist preacher Howell Harris, made important contributions to the sciences and public life of Great Britain in the eighteenth century. A protégé of Edmond Halley and an apprentice to globe and mapmakers, Harris made a lasting impression on some of the most illustrious scientists of his day, contributing to our understanding of astronomy, longitude, navigation, instrument making and optics. And, as assay master at the Royal Mint, he influenced the standardisation of weights and measures, and became a confident of politicians, Prime Ministers and Chancellors of the Exchequer. His essays on our monetary system still impact on political structures today. Remarkably, Harris also found time to make astronomical observations and teach navigational techniques for the Royal Society, and in 1761 was the only man in Wales to record the Transit of Venus.
Martin Griffiths is a professional astronomer and science communicator, an enrichment lecturer for Cunard, a member of the NASA Science Communication Guild, and a New Scientist Tour Guide.
