Book contents
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- Contents
- ILLUSTRATIONS
- CHAPTER I MY ANCESTRY
- CHAPTER II ALEXANDER NASMYTH
- CHAPTER III AN ARTIST'S FAMILY
- CHAPTER IV MY EARLY YEARS
- CHAPTER V MY SCHOOL-DAYS
- CHAPTER VI MECHANICAL BEGINNINGS
- CHAPTER VII HENRY MAUDSLEY, LONDON
- CHAPTER VIII MAUDSLEY'S PRIVATE ASSISTANT
- CHAPTER IX HOLIDAY IN THE MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS
- CHAPTER X BEGIN BUSINESS AT MANCHESTER
- CHAPTER XI BRIDGEWATER FOUNDRY—PARTNERSHIP
- CHAPTER XII FREE TRADE IN ABILITY—THE STRIKE—DEATH OF MY FATHER
- CHAPTER XIII MY MARRIAGE—THE STEAM HAMMER
- CHAPTER XIV TRAVELS IN FRANCE AND ITALY
- CHAPTER XV STEAM HAMMER PILE DRIVER
- CHAPTER XVI NUREMBERG—ST. PETERSBURG—DANNEMORA
- CHAPTER XVII MORE ABOUT BRIDGEWATER FOUNDRY—WOOLWICH ARSENAL
- CHAPTER XVIII ASTRONOMICAL PURSUITS
- CHAPTER XIX MORE ABOUT ASTRONOMY
- CHAPTER XX RETIREMENT FROM BUSINESS
- CHAPTER XXI ACTIVE LEISURE
- CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF INVENTIONS AND CONTRIVANCES
- SUN-RAY ORIGIN OF THE PYRAMIDS, AND CUNEIFORM CHARACTER
- INDEX
- Plate section
CHAPTER XVIII - ASTRONOMICAL PURSUITS
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 November 2010
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- Contents
- ILLUSTRATIONS
- CHAPTER I MY ANCESTRY
- CHAPTER II ALEXANDER NASMYTH
- CHAPTER III AN ARTIST'S FAMILY
- CHAPTER IV MY EARLY YEARS
- CHAPTER V MY SCHOOL-DAYS
- CHAPTER VI MECHANICAL BEGINNINGS
- CHAPTER VII HENRY MAUDSLEY, LONDON
- CHAPTER VIII MAUDSLEY'S PRIVATE ASSISTANT
- CHAPTER IX HOLIDAY IN THE MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS
- CHAPTER X BEGIN BUSINESS AT MANCHESTER
- CHAPTER XI BRIDGEWATER FOUNDRY—PARTNERSHIP
- CHAPTER XII FREE TRADE IN ABILITY—THE STRIKE—DEATH OF MY FATHER
- CHAPTER XIII MY MARRIAGE—THE STEAM HAMMER
- CHAPTER XIV TRAVELS IN FRANCE AND ITALY
- CHAPTER XV STEAM HAMMER PILE DRIVER
- CHAPTER XVI NUREMBERG—ST. PETERSBURG—DANNEMORA
- CHAPTER XVII MORE ABOUT BRIDGEWATER FOUNDRY—WOOLWICH ARSENAL
- CHAPTER XVIII ASTRONOMICAL PURSUITS
- CHAPTER XIX MORE ABOUT ASTRONOMY
- CHAPTER XX RETIREMENT FROM BUSINESS
- CHAPTER XXI ACTIVE LEISURE
- CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF INVENTIONS AND CONTRIVANCES
- SUN-RAY ORIGIN OF THE PYRAMIDS, AND CUNEIFORM CHARACTER
- INDEX
- Plate section
Summary
Let me turn for a time from the Foundry, the whirr of the self-acting tools, and the sound of the steam hammers, to my quieter pursuits at home. There I had much tranquil enjoyment in the company of my dear wife. I had many hobbies. Drawing was as familiar to me as language. Indeed, it was often my method of speaking. It has always been the way in which I have illustrated my thoughts. In the course of my journeys at home and abroad I made many drawings of places and objects, which were always full of interest, to me at least; and they never ceased to bring up a store of happy thoughts.
Now and then I drew upon my fancy, and with pen and ink I conjured up “The Castle of Udolpho,” “A Bit of Old England,” “The Fairies are Out,” and “Everybody for Ever.” The last is crowded with thousands of figures and heads, so that it is almost impossible to condense the drawing into a small compass. To these I added “The Alchemist,” “Old Mortality,” “Robinson Crusoe,” and a bit of English scenery, which I called “Gathering Sticks.” I need not say with how much pleasure I executed these drawings in my evening hours.
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- James Nasmyth, EngineerAn Autobiography, pp. 323 - 350Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1883