author
J. A. (Joseph Anthony) Gillet
1837–1908
A longtime mathematics and physics teacher who helped shape the early years of New York’s Normal College, he also wrote clear, practical textbooks on astronomy, algebra, and natural philosophy. His work reflects a teacher’s instinct for making big scientific ideas approachable.
1 Audiobook
The Heavens Above: A Popular Handbook of Astronomy
by J. A. (Joseph Anthony) Gillet, W. J. (William James) Rolfe
About the author
Born on June 21, 1837, Joseph Anthony Gillet was an American educator and textbook writer whose career was closely tied to the Normal College of the City of New York, later Hunter College. Sources from Hunter College describe him as a Harvard graduate who joined the school at its founding in 1870 and went on to serve for decades as a senior professor of mathematics and physics.
Gillet wrote a wide range of school books in mathematics and science, including works on astronomy, natural philosophy, chemistry, geometry, and algebra. Listings from The Online Books Page show titles such as Elements of Astronomy, Notes on Trigonometry and Astronomy, First Book in Astronomy, First Book in Natural Philosophy, and Elementary Algebra, suggesting a writer deeply committed to classroom teaching and student learning.
Late in his career, he served as acting president of Normal College after the retirement of Thomas Hunter in May 1906. He died on January 28, 1908, in New York City, leaving behind both a substantial body of educational writing and a lasting place in Hunter College history.