Spectrum of belief : Joseph von Fraunhofer and the craft of precision optics /

Until about 1800, the development of telescopes was impeded by lenses that were cloudy and produced images surrounded by rings of color. Opticians found that the colors were reduced if lenses were made of two different kinds of glass cemented together, but the problem of quality remained. Fraunhofer (1787-1826), born into a family of poor Bavarian artisans, developed extraordinary skill in making glass and by age 24 was directing the manufacture of the purest glass and the best lenses in the world. Since his procedure for making the glass was a state secret, scientists in other countries, especially in Britain, tried to duplicate the results, but as Jackson (Willamette Univ.) points out, the process depended on slowly acquired artisanal skill, and Britain's gentleman scientists preferred to leave that to others. Fraunhofer made one scientific discovery, the dark lines in the solar spectrum, but he used that discovery to make better glass. What was his position in society? Was he a scientist? The questions generated heat. More than a biography, this is a study of the organization and social implications of work of this kind. An important book, though editing and organization could have been improved. General readers; upper-division undergraduates; faculty. D. Park; emeritus, Williams College