Pour la Gloire de M. de la Lande

The period 1679–1920 has been covered so
comprehensively and in such detail by Boistel
that the subject is practically exhausted, leaving
little room for further studies. His big book,
which has involved many years of deep and
well-organized research, is well presented, with
very few typos and interesting illustrations. It
gives a vivid description through a long period
not only of the evolution of the CdT, but also, as
promised by its title, of French astronomy and
its relations with the successive governments,

the navigators and society in general. The so-
lution adopted by Guy Boistel for publication is

excellent for such books with a necessarily
limited readership, which would not make much
money for the author anyhow; it should be
generally adopted in similar cases. A problem
however is that the book is written in French.
Making a full translation in English would be a

large and little-rewarding task, and most inter-
ested readers are likely to have at least a

superficial knowledge of French. They can
use an automatic translator to clear up difficult

passages (I recommend DeepL which is con-
siderably better than Google translation for

scientific texts). In any case, its reading will be
a pleasure for the historian and the astronomer
at large. I recommend it warmly and without
any reservation.

The Connaissance des temps (CdT), France’s official annual ephemerides, has been published continuously since 1679, a remarkable feat given the course of French history in that time. Yet as Guy Boistel observes, it remains largely unknown outside astronomy. His mammoth book does much to address that situation. […] There is plenty of incidental detail and coverage of related subjects as well, notably concerning the Bureau des longitudes and French navigation and astronomy. Boistel provides useful contextual framing too, which readers less familiar with French history will appreciate. This is a substantial work – over 2 kg in its printed form. It is fairly basic in design and layout, but serves well as a work of reference. It is clearly structured – the 17 pages of contents alone give a comprehensive narrative overview – and has many useful charts, tables, appendices and footnotes. Its availability in pdf (available as free download) makes text searches straightforward, compensating for an unsatisfactory index. There is also a substantial bibliography. Boistel has long been a powerful advocate for the history of French astronomy and navigation, particularly in reaction to anglophone accounts. Those familiar with his work will recognise in this detailed and ambitious work his meticulous approach based on close reading of copious volumes of archival and other primary material. The volume is a fitting testament to years of intensive research.

Richard Dunn, Science Museum, London