The Net Advance of Physics:
History and Philosophy: Nevil Maskelyne

• Nevil Maskelyne at Mac Tutor [St. Andrews University]
• The Harrison-Maskelyne Affair by J. Donald Fernie [American Scientist 91, (2003 September/October)] Somewhat hostile account of Maskelyne's controversy with the clockmaker John Harrison during the quest for a solution to the longitude problem.
• Grave of Dr. Nevil Maskelyne [Find A Grave]
• Nevil Maskelyne: The Seaman's Astronomer by Derek Howse [Cambridge, 1989]
• Longitude by Dava Sobel [New York: Walker, 1995]
• Chapter One of White Magic: The Story of Maskelynes by Jasper Maskelyne [London: Stanley Paul, undated] A famous dynasty of Victorian and Edwardian stage-magicians claimed to be descended from Nevil Maskelyne. In this memoir, one of the magical Maskelynes talks about how rural people attributed his ancestor's astronomical skills to witchcraft.
• Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon [New York: Holt, 1997] Maskelyne appears as a character in the celebrated postmodernist novel.

• WORKS:
  • Papers of Neville Maskelyne at the Royal Greenwich Observatory Archives Description of the archive. [Janus]

  • A Proposal for Discovering the Annual Parallax of Sirius by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 51, 895 (1759)]
  • A Theorem of the Aberration of the Rays of Light Refracted Through a Lens, on Account of the Imperfection of the Spherical Figure by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 52, 17 (1761)]
  • A Letter to William Watson, M.D. by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 52, 26 (1761)] concerning the Transit of Venus expedition in progress.
  • An Account of the Observations Made on the Transit of Venus, June 6, 1761, in the Island of St. Helena by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 52, 196 (1761)]
  • Observations on a Clock of Mr. John Shelton, Made at St. Helena by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 52, 434 (1761)] The purpose of the experiment: to see whether a pendulum clock runs at the same speed at all latitudes (and thus whether the force of gravity depends on latitude).
  • A Letter to the Rev. Thoms Birch by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 52, 558 (1761)] describing Maskelyne's attempt to determine the longitude of a ship at sea.
  • Observations on the Tides in the Island of St. Helena by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 52, 586 (1761)]
  • Concise Rules for Computing the Effects of Refraction and Parallax in Varying the Apparent Distance of the Moon from the Sun or a Star; Also an Easy Rule of Approximation for Computing the Distance of the Moon from a Star, the Longitudes and Latitudes of Both Being Given, with Demonstrations of the Same by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 54, 263 (1764)]
  • Some Remarks upon the Equation of Time, and the True Manner of Computing It by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 54, 336 (1764)]
  • Astronomical Observations Made at the Island of St. Helena by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 54, 348 (1764)]
  • Astronomical Observations Made at the Island of Barbados; At Willoughby Fort; And at the Observatory on Constitution Hill, Both Adjoining to Bridge Town by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 54, 389 (1764)]
  • Introduction to [and original comments on] Two Papers of Mr. John Smeaton, F. R. S. by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 58, 154 (1768)] concerning measurement of the Earth's orbit around the Earth-Moon system's centre of gravity.
  • Introduction to the Following Observations, Made by Messieurs Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, for Determining the Length of a Degree of Latitude, in the Provinces of Maryland and Pennsylvania, in North America by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 58, 270 (1768)]
  • Observations of the Transit of Venus Over the Sun, and the Eclipse of the Sun by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 58, 355 (1768)]
  • Description of a Method of Measuring Differences of Right Ascension and Declination, with Dollond's Micrometer, together with Other New Applications of the Same by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 61, 536 (1771)]
  • Remarks on the Hadley's Quadrant, Tending Principally to Remove the Difficulties Which Have Hitherto Attended the Use of the Back-Observation, and to Obviate the Errors That Might Arise from a Want of Parallelism in the Two Surfaces of the Index-Glass by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 62, 99 (1772)]
  • M. De Luc's Rule for Measuring Heights by the Barometer, Reduced to the English Measure of Length, and Adapted to Fahrenheit's Thermometer, and Other Scales of Heat, and Reduced to a More Convenient Expression by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 64, 158 (1774)]
  • A Proposal for Measuring the Attraction of Some Hill in This Kingdom by Astronomical Observations by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 65, 495 (1775)]
  • An Account of Observations Made on the Mountain Schehallien for Finding Its Attraction by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 65, 500 (1775)]
  • Account of a New Instrument for Measuring Small Angles, Called the Prismatic Micrometer by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 67, 799 (1777)]
  • Advertisement of the Expected Return of the Comet of 1532 and 1661 in the Year 1788 by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 76, 426 (1786)]
  • Concerning the Latitude and Longitude of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich; With Remarks on a Memorial of the Late M. Cassini de Thury by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 77, 151 (1787)]
  • An Attempt to Explain a Difficulty in the Theory of Vision, Depending on the Different Refrangibility of Light by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 79, 256 (1789)]
  • Observations of the Comet of 1793 by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 83, 55 (1793)]
  • On a New Property of the Tangents of Three Arches Trisecting the Circumference of a Circle by Rev. Nevil Maskelyne [Phil. Trans. R. S. L. 98, 122 (1808)] "Arch" meaning "angle" and "tangent" meaning "tangent line-segment".

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