Climate Science Pioneer John Tyndall, Who Discovered The Greenhouse Effect, Autograph Letter Signed on "A Book About Glaciers"

Climate Change - Tyndall, John

ALS : Autograph Letter Signed

John Tyndall. Tyndall published a complete work on the greenhouse effect in 1872, a century before the climate crisis became a rallying point for both the scientific community and the world at large. Autograph Letter Signed to poet Matthew Arnold. Two pages, 5.25" x 8.25" inches. Dated July 19th 1872. "Firstly," Tyndall writes, "I promised to send you for a copy a little book about the glaciers, which might have added interest this visit to Switzerland...". Signed "John Tyndall". In fact, it was Tyndall's work on the glaciers of the Alps that led to his discovery of the greenhouse effect. In good condition.

A champion of free thought and accessible scientific education, Tyndall's groundbreaking scientific paper "On the Absorption and Radiation of Heat by Gases [...]", proved the existence of greenhouse gases and identified carbon dioxide as a key component trapping radiant heat energy in the Earth’s atmosphere. Tyndall was an avid mountaineer, and it was his love of glaciers that alerted him to the concept of Fourier: that heat from the sun penetrates the atmosphere more easily than "obscure heat" (infrared) "terrestrial radiation" from the warmed Earth, causing what we now call the greenhouse effect. He devoted the rest of his life to pioneering work in climate science. The very year after this letter, 1873, Tyndall published The Forms of Water in Clouds & Rivers, Ice & Glaciers, another groundbreaking work on the flow of glaciers that was clearly already building in his mind at the time of this July correspondence. As well as his discovery of greenhouse gases, Tyndall was also interested in airborne particulate matter. He found a way to eradicate bacterial spores that came to be known as "Tyndallization," affirming germ theory against a number of critics. During the 1870s Pasteur and Tyndall were in frequent communication. As part of this work he also invented a fireman's respirator that filtered smoke and noxious gas from air; unaware at the time that wildfires would become one of the most devastating forces predicted by his climate work. Light crease along original fold. Age related toning and light foxing to pages. Thin vertical tear along left side of page, 2.5cm not affecting text.

Item #15191

Price: $3,200.00