author

Joseph Harris

1704–1764

A blacksmith’s son from rural Wales, he taught himself into the worlds of astronomy, navigation, and public policy. His books and instruments helped sailors and statesmen alike, and his work at the Royal Mint gave him a quiet but lasting influence on British science and commerce.

1 Audiobook

The description and use of the globes and the orrery To which is prefix'd, by way of introduction, a brief account of the solar system

The description and use of the globes and the orrery To which is prefix'd, by way of introduction, a brief account of the solar system

by Joseph Harris

About the author

Born in Trefeca, Brecknockshire, in 1704, he began life in the blacksmith’s trade before moving into scientific work. He became known for his practical mind as much as his learning, working across astronomy, navigation, economics, and instrument-making.

His career was unusually wide-ranging. He wrote on globes, navigation, money, and optics, and sources also credit him with inventing instruments such as a new azimuth compass and a fore-staff. He later served as King’s Assay Master at the Royal Mint, where he advised government figures and played a part in work on weights, measures, and coinage.

What makes him especially memorable is the path he took: not a university scholar by training, but a self-made thinker whose ideas proved useful in everyday practice as well as in government service. Though he is less famous now than some of his contemporaries, Joseph Harris left behind the picture of an 18th-century polymath who moved easily between workshop skill and scientific ambition.