Herschel’s Marginal Notes on Mill’s on Liberty

Abstract

The library of Sir John F.W. Herschel, which for eighty years after his death had remained in the possession of the Herschel family, was ultimately dispersed by auction sale in 1958.¹ Scientific books constituted most of this collection, but the great Victorian astronomer’s wide range of interests and abilities were also represented in his library by Latin and Greek classics, English poetry, and many contemporary books on history, philosophy, and economics. Almost completely lacking were fiction, theology, and books on the fine arts. The purchasers of these books were gratified to find that Herschel had usually kept a pencil in hand as he read, for many of the margins carry sprightly comments in his handwriting, dashed off apparently as thoughts crossed his mind as he read. These comments often have something of the character of free and informal conversation, such as only an intimate friend would be privileged to hear. They have for a reader the same kind of fascination, though perhaps to a lesser degree, as private letters and personal diaries.