Illustrative Cloud Forms for the Guidance of Observers in the Classification of Clouds by (Sigsbee, C. D. ) - 1897

( Washington, D. C. ): U. S. Hydrographic Office, 1897. First Edition. Boards. Good. L. Prang & Co. Boston. L. Prang & Co. Boston. First Edition. 3 leaves (title plus two prelims, printed on recto only) + 16 leaves, each with colored illustration and descriptive text. 9 1/2 x 5 1/2. Paper boards stitched at spine. Upper blank corner torn from title page, front flyleaf lacking. Large related newspaper clipping glued to front pastedown. Previous owner name on title page. Front hinge cracked but holding. Boards. Publication No 112 from the Hydrographic Office. A very useful and quite enjoyable atlas for identifying the type of clouds in the sky. Each of the sixteen plates has descriptive text on the left side with the full name and abbreviation, description of characteristics, and on the right side a nice lithograph of clouds in action as they might be seen in the real world. The introductory note by Sigsbee notes that the work is necessary based on an increasing attention being given to clouds as signs in forecasting the weather. The nomenclature and descriptions were derived from the International Cloud Atlas (Paris: 1896), but the images were from paintings by Mr. Rudolf Cronau done for the Hydrographic Office. Cronau consulted with Mr. Louis Prang for this reproduction project. Sigsbee, the US Navy Captain hydrographer for this project, eventually became a Rear Admiral. He is probably best known for having invented the Sigsbee sounding machine, a nice image of which can be seen in the Smithsonian Archives online (SIA Acc. 11-006 [MAH-2763]). An enhancement of Sir William Thomson's machine designed for the same task, Sigsbee's unit became the use standard for many years. Such devices were important for mapping the ocean floor, especially in well traveled areas with shallow bottoms.