Frontiers of Astronomy (Dr Joseph Kaplan's copy)
1955, stamped by the American physicist to the ffep
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
First edition, third printing. Hardback in dustwrapper. 22 × 14.5cm, 360pp.
Not signed but this copy bears the ownership stamp of the noted American UCLA physicist Dr Joseph Kaplan. He has stamped the book twice, first with a simple "Dr Joseph Kaplan" and secondly with a similar but smaller stamp with also bears his name in Hebrew (indicating his ties to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute). An important peer-to-peer connection between two important mid-century men of science, and both men were professionally connected through projects in the International Geophysical Year (IGY) 1957–1958 of which Kaplan was Chair.
Fred Hoyle presents a sweeping, mid-century synthesis of the cosmos, moving from the mechanics of the Earth and Moon to the life cycles of stars and the evolution of entire galaxies. Rejecting the then-emerging "Big Bang" theory in favor of his own "Steady State" model, Hoyle argues for a universe that has no beginning or end, where matter is continuously created to maintain a constant density as space expands. The book is celebrated for its accessible yet rigorous explanation of stellar nucleosynthesis—how stars act as cosmic furnaces to forge heavy elements—and it remains a definitive snapshot of a revolutionary era when humanity was first beginning to understand the chemical and physical origins of the universe itself.
Condition
The book itself is in very good condition, with a little age-related toning to the page edges. The dustwrapper has some mall closed tears to the joints and slight loss at the spine ends but has not been price-clipped and is now within a protective sleeve. Bookseller's ticket from Vanguard Books of Johannesburg to the front pastedown.
Books are currently zero-rated for duty (as of January 2026), so the price shown is the price you pay.
Price
£80.00
