Janus: Papers of Joseph Needham as a historian of Chinese science, technology and medicine

Needham/NRI2/SCC2/72 contains:
1	Armillary spheres; early history and the invention of the clock drive
2	Armillary spheres: the invention of the equatorial mounting
3	Astrolabe
4	Celestial globes and demonstration armillary spheres

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Papers of Joseph Needham as a historian of Chinese science, technology and medicine

Title	Armillary spheres; early history and the invention of the clock drive
Reference	SCC2/72/1
Covering Dates	1940–1989
Extent and Medium	Paper

Content and context

Joseph Needham's file title continues 'For telescope see 'Optick Artists' subfile of physics (Optics)'.

Needham/NRI2/SCC2/72/1 contains:

Annotated galley proofs for the 'Re-writing of the Armillary spheres sub-section' of 'Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3'.
20 sheets; Paper.

1956

Joseph Needham's notes from a typescript by Derek Price on armillary spheres. The notes state that the typescript was 'for S.Kensington handbook'.
2 sheets; Paper.

5 Nov. 1953

Joseph Needham's notes on the armillary sphere from R. Wolf's, 'Handbuch d. Astronomie, ihrer Geschichte und Litteratur', (Zurich, 1890).
3 sheets; Paper.

1950–1959

Joseph Needham's notes from A. G. Drachman, 'The Plane Astrolabe and the Anaphoric Clock', ('Centaurus', 1954).
2 sheets; Paper.

1954

Cutting of a 'Times' obituary for Rear-Admiral Richard Evelyn Bird, 'A Master of Polar Exploration'.
1 document; Paper.

13 Mar. 1957

Correspondence with Arthur J. Hughes of Chigwell Row, Essex, about the Bumstead Sun Compass, manufactured by the Pioneer Instrument Company during the 1920s. The documents also include a diagram of the compass.
Creator: Hughes, Arthur J.; Needham, Joseph.
6 sheets; Paper.

1 Feb. 1957–25 Mar. 1957

Copy of a letter from Joseph Needham to Prof. Allen McManigal of Ohio State University, U.S.A. enquiring about a sundial he made. The documents also include a copy of an article mentioning the sundial, written by William H. Barton Jr. entitled, 'Sky Clocks and Calendars', ('Sky', 1940).
3 sheets; Paper.

1940–1 Feb. 1957

Joseph Needham 's manuscript draft of 'Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3', Table 31 showing, 'Construction of the principal Chinese armillary spheres from antiquity to the +15th century'. The documents also include drafts of the table's explanation, footnotes and Chinese characters.
6 sheets; Paper.

1953–1957

Joseph Needham's notes about the armillary sphere of the 13th century, Persian astronomer, Jamal al-Din.
4 sheets; Paper.

1950–1959

Joseph Needham's notes of 'standard terminology for Su Sung's armillary sphere.
2 sheets; Paper.

1950–1959

Joseph Needham copy of a table of armillary spheres from a work by H. Maspero.
1 document; Paper.

1950–1959

Joseph Needham's notes of 'Derek Price's improvement re clock drive' to be inserted into 'Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3'.
1 document; Paper.

1950–1959

Joseph Needham's notes on the 'question of the clock drive'.
4 sheets; Paper.

1950–1959

Joseph Needham's notes on an armillary sphere from Ma Kuo-Han's [??? / Ma Guohan] 'The Jade-Box Mountain Studio Collection of (Reconstituted) Lost Books', (1853).
5 sheets; Paper.

1950–1959

Typed translation of a section from «????» [Chhü Wei Chiu Wên / Qu Wei Jiu Wen] describing an armillary sphere in 1130.
2 sheets; Paper.

1950–1959

Typed translation of a section from «????» [Meng Chhi Pi Than / Meng Qi Bi Tan] on 'Calendar & Hun Tien I, First Determination of True Pole'. The translation is annotated with Chinese characters added in manuscript.
4 sheets; Paper.

1950–1959

Joseph Needham's notes and typed drafts for a 'retranslation of Chang Hêng [?? / Zhang Heng] on the armillary sphere and on precession of equinoxes'.
5 sheets; Paper.

1950–1959

Photographs of illustrations used in the 'Armillary Spheres' section of 'Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3'.
12 pieces; Photograph.

1950–1959

Postcard from Francis Maddison of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, showing an 'Italian Ptolemaic armillary sphere'.
Creator: Maddison, Francis.
1 document; Paper.

1 Oct. 1958

Correspondence with R. J. G. Savage of the Department of Geology, University of Bristol and John Munro in Northern Nigeria about the sun compass. The documents also include a diagram and typed description by Savage of the 'British Army Sun Compass, Mark II'.
Creator: Savage, R. J. G.; Munro, John; Needham, Joseph.
10 sheets; Paper.

9 July 1959–6 Aug. 1960

Letter from Francis Maddison of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, forwarding a photograph of an armillary sphere in India and attached letter from Derek J. de Solla Price of Yale University forwarding the same photograph. The photograph is from an album of pictures taken by G. R. Kaye held at the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford.
Creator: Maddison, Francis; Price, Derek J. de Solla.
4 pieces; Paper and photograph.

2 Aug. 1961–20 Dec. 1962

Typed extracts from Ernst Zinner's, 'Die Geschichte der Sternkunde', (Berlin, 1931).
1 document; Paper.

19 Mar. 1964

Photograph of a 'modern Chinese stamp showing an armillary sphere'. The photograph was sent to Joseph Needham from the Director of the Science Museum in London.
1 document; Paper.

26 Jan. 1965

Postcard showing an armillary sphere at the Purple Mountain Observatory.
1 document; Paper.

1960–1969

Letter from Prof. J. O. Palgen of the International Training Centre for Aerial Survey, Holland, about 'proto-'Vernier' circle reading systems'.
Creator: Palgen, J. O.
3 sheets; Paper.

28 Oct. 1965–22 Dec. 1965

Copy of a letter from Joseph Needham to Francis Maddison of the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, about a Japanese print of an armillary sphere produced by the 'famous coloured woodcut artist Hokusai' and related documents. The related documents comprise photocopies of the print; postcard of the print from Henri Michel of Brussels, Belgium', 15 January 1958; Joseph Needham's notes.
5 sheets; Paper.

15 Jan. 1958–20 Dec. 1965

Photocopy of a diagram of an armillary sphere from «???» [Liu Ching Thu / Liu Jing Tu] and related notes.
4 sheets; Paper.

1970–1979

Letter from Simon Mitton of Cambridge University Press, about a figure for the abridged version of 'Science and Civilisation in China'. The documents also include photographs of astronomical instruments by Kuo Shou-Ching. These are new photographs of the subjects of Figures 163 to 165 of 'Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3'.
Creator: Mitton, Simon.
4 pieces; Photograph and paper.

29 July 1980

Photocopy of an Japanese journal article about the book 'Nihon Bunku no Rekishi', with an illustration of a 17th century armillary sphere.
1 document; Paper.

30 Nov. 1983

Information sheets describing a reduced size replica of an armillary sphere produced by the Purple Mountain Observatory for sale in Nanjing and photograph of the replica. There is one information sheet in English, one in Chinese.
3 pieces; Paper and photograph.

1980–1989

Related bibliographical references and brief notes.
33 sheets; Paper.

1950–1969

Joseph Needham's original file title.
1 document; Paper.

1950–1959