The Description and Use of the Globes and the Orrery. Tenth edition

1768

De Beer Eb 1768 H

London: Printed for B. Cole, and E. Cushee

There is nothing like a little self-promotion, especially if it clinches the sale of an expensive item like an orrery - a mechanical model that represents the circuit of the planets around the sun. Joseph Harris’s Description and Use is described as a ‘puff’ piece that was written for orrery, globe, and instrument manufacturer, Thomas Wright in the mid-18th century. Fundamentally, the book is an instruction manual on how to use your orrery or globe. Fortuitously you can buy one – as depicted in the frontispiece – from Wright’s apprentice and successor, Benjamin Cole (1695-1766). At the rear of the book is a list of items available for purchase at Cole’s ‘Orrery, near the Globe Tavern, in Fleet-street’.