This is an exceedingly rare edition of Gerard P. Kuiper's important lunar atlas, with the plates housed in a hard wooden case with metal latches and a carrying handle. Commissioned by the United States Air Force, the atlas consists of 230 photographs (on 93 sheets) of the moon taken from five different observatories. The atlas is split into three parts: an introduction (11 sheets) "showing the subdivision of the lunar surface into the 44 fields" and presenting the nomenclature officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union; the main body of the atlas, consisting of 184 photographic plates, most on folding sheets; and 35 supplemental sheets. In this example, the sections of the main atlas are grouped by dividers labeled A - F. The photographs were taken at a scale of 100 inches to the lunar diameter (1 inch = 21.6 miles). South is oriented at the top of each plate, as is customary in astronomical photography. The atlas is accompanied by a 23-page booklet describing the history of the Lunar Atlas project, information on the photographs taken, and tables of data and lunar formations to be used with the plates. The plates are loose sheets that tuck neatly into a nice wooden case with a removable lid with carrying handle that fastens to the body of the case via metal latches. A title label is attached to the case's front. Edited by Gerard P. Kuiper and published by the University of Chicago Press. William B. Ashworth, Jr., the cataloger behind the Linda Hall Library's "The Face of the Moon" exhibit, describes this as "the last great photographic lunar atlas based on images recorded from earth." This is the only example we have come across featuring the special wooden carrying case.

The wooden case and plates together weigh approximately 28 pounds -- international customers should contact us for a shipping quote prior to bidding.

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Condition: B+

Plates are in near fine to very good condition with minor wear around the edges. Two of the introductory plates have tiny tack holes in the margins, and some of the plates feature faint finger smudges from handling. The case is lightly scuffed, but sturdy, with some light scratches to its title label. Accompanying booklet has minor soiling on the covers and a few spots of marginal whiteout.