THE COUNTY MAGAZINE, Salisbury, England, July, 1787  

* Rare 18th century publication
* Sir William Herschel

I believe this is the first issue of this title we have offered, this coming from our private collection. It existed under this title from 1786 thru 1790, this being the volume 1, number 19 issue.
A typical magazine of the era although twice as large, various literary items but it does include: "An Account of the Three Volcanos In the Moon" by William Herschel.
This is a contemporary report by this famed astronomer, presented before the Royal Society.
Sixteen pages, 9 by 11 inches, wide never-trimmed margins, very nice condition.

Background: Published in Salisbury, England, this rare July 1787 issue (Vol. 1, No. 19) of The County Magazine is headlined by a groundbreaking contemporary report from legendary astronomer Sir William Herschel titled "An Account of the Three Volcanos In the Moon." Read before the prestigious Royal Society on April 26, 1787—just three months prior to this issue's release—Herschel's paper detailed his observations of bright, luminous spots on the dark side of the lunar crescent that he confidently, though erroneously, identified as active lunar eruptions. In reality, Herschel was witnessing the exceptionally high-albedo, highly reflective interior walls of fresh impact craters such as Aristarchus illuminated by earthshine, but his stature as the discoverer of Uranus meant the report sent shockwaves through the 18th-century scientific community. Printed in a distinctively oversized 16-page format by Benjamin Charles Collins, this provincial publication offers a rare and tangible snapshot of how cutting-edge Enlightenment-era science was rapidly disseminated beyond London to regional British readers.