The Book of Days

On this day in 1810, was born  Robert Chambers (d. March 17, 1871), who grew to become a Scottish publisher, geologist, proto-evolutionary thinker, author and journal editor who, like his elder brother and business partner William Chambers, was highly influential in mid-19th-Century scientific and political circles.

Chambers was an early phrenologist, and was the anonymous author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation, which was so controversial that his authorship was not acknowledged until after his death.
I borrowed extensively from Chambers, for text and images, when building this almanac. I would catch a bus from Palm Beach, were I was a caretaker for a multi-millionaire, and copy everything by hand, then come home and below a poor light, transcribe as much as I could. (I'm not whingeing, I had a wonderful time at Palmy, mostly). At the Mitchell Library, at a book sale, I got Volume 1 of Chambers's book, but haven't been able to find Volume II. If you have a copy, and wish to part with it, please name your price.