The Technique of Sculpture by John W. Mills (review)

Books 341 Russell W. Porter. The Jet Propulsiori Laboratory, Cat$ lnist. oJ Tech., Pasadena, Cali/:,penicil drawing, 1944. navigation in the Arctic, it was perhaps not surprising that a chance article on Speculum Making in Popular Astrononiy launched Porter on his life’s most important vocation. It started with the making and grinding of astronomical lenses and mirrors, led to the designand construction of amateur telescopes and was finally crowned with outstanding contributions, as a professional, to the 200-inch Hale telescope at Mount Palomar, California. Porter’s greatest gift was to communicate his own enthusiasm to others, and, through the amateur telescope-making fraternity, which he initiated in North America, he opened a new world to thousands whose life had been drab and uninspiring before. Porter wrote extensively, made innumerable drawings to illustrate his articles and at ‘Stellafane’ in Vermont founded a clubhouse that remained for decades the Mecca for amateur astronomers and telescope makers from far and near. Many distinguished amateur astronomers, like the Earl of Ross before Porter, and Patrick Moore after him, made outstanding contributions to the professional science of astronomy. At the age of 56, Porter received his call, a telegram from George E. Hale of the California Institute of Technology ‘to assist in designing two hundred inch telescope’. That was in 1928,twenty years before the telescopewas completed and could be dedicated. Porter settled for good in Pasadena, and there started an extraordinary wide range ofactivities. He built and designed a special telescope for the surveying of the site on Mount Palomar; he made architectural drawings for all the auxiliary buildings outside the 200-inchtelescope;he figuredthe lens for the Schmidt camera that accompanied the 200-inch telescope; he was responsible for many of the mechanical details of its dome; he laid out the positions of the auxiliary servicesaround the base of the 200-inch telescopeinside its domed building, and he was one of the small optical team that gave the mirror its final testing when it had arrived at Mount Palomar. But Porter’s greatest contributions to the 200-inch telescope were his magnificent pencil ‘cutaway’ drawings, showing in amazing detail the inner components of the complete telescope and of its complex subsidiary equipment. As he was able to produce these staggeringly realistic drawings from mere blueprints or just from verbal descriptions, they were soon in great demand by the members of the design team and, finally,became essentialcomponents of decision-making. Porter made over 1000 drawings for the 200-inch telescope, its related instruments and its buildings. Unfortunately, Willard failsto say in his book how many have survived and, if so, where they might be seen. There remains little else to tell. During World War I1 Porter’s unique drawing ability was much in demand (see illustration). Hundreds of drawings of weapon design were sent to Washington, D.C., long before prototypes had come into existence. He earned the accolade of ‘The Cutaway Drawing Man’, he received honory doctorates of science, he was given a citation for those ‘whoseliveshave been lived for the enrichment of the livesof others’, and ClaviusB, a 25-milediametercrater on the Moon has been named after him. At the age of 77, whilst working on a six-inch objective for a telescope, he had a heart attack from which he died a few hours later. This is the first full-length biography of Porter. It is written by one who fullyunderstands not only Porter’s scientificand artistic achievements and can explain obscure optical points with ease but alsoby a man who fully shares Porter’s spirit of adventure. It is therefore a delightful book to read, and I highly recommend it. Only occasionally does the author get lost in too great detail. Somewhat more severe editing would have improved it. The Technique of Sculpture John W. Mills. Batsford, London, 1976. 168 pp., illus. f4.95. Reviewed by Peter Lipman-WulP Mills says at the beginning of Teclitiique of Sculpfure:‘In this book I am concerned only with stating as many techniques as *Whitney Rd., Sag Harbor, NY 11963, U.S.A. I : 342 Books possible.’ I find it a useful dictionary-type book from which one can obtain...