Stephen Case is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Geosciences, Olivet Nazarene University, and author of Making Stars Physical: the Astronomy of Sir John Herschel (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018). Lukas M. Verburgt is Gerda Henkel Stiftung Research Scholar and affiliated to the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study. He has authored and coedited several books and numerous articles on the history of science and philosophy in nineteenth-century Britain.

• Introduction Stephen Case and Lukas M. Verburgt; 1. John Herschel: a biographical sketch Emily Winterburn; 2. The mathematical journey of John Herschel Tony Crilly; 3. John Herschel's astronomy Stephen Case; 4. Stargazer at world's end: John Herschel at the cape, 1833–1838 Steve Ruskin; 5. Herschel's philosophy of science: the preliminary discourse on the study of natural philosophy and beyond Lukas M. Verburgt; 6. Drawing observations together: John Herschel and the act of drawing in scientific observation Omar W. Nasim; 7. Photology, photography, and actino-chemistry: the photographic work of John Herschel Kelley Wilder; 8. Herschel's planet: earth in cosmic perspective Gregory A. Good; 9. John Herschel and scientific standardization Edward J. Gillin; 10. John Herschel and politics William J. Ashworth; 11. John Herschel's methodology in the scientific community Charles H. Pence.

'This new volume does an excellent job of showing how varied and wide-ranging Herschel's efforts were, while always retaining the core thread of his astronomical interests.' Theresa Levitt, Journal for the History of Astronomy