The Life of Roger Langdon

Often upheld as an extraordinary example of Victorian working-class biography, this 1909 publication documents the remarkable career of station-master and amateur astronomer Roger Langdon. Rising from humble beginnings to the Royal Astronomical Society, Langdon's life story is characterized by a steely determination and is utterly engaging.

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First published in 1909, this autobiography details the astonishing life of Roger Langdon (1825–94), a country station-master and amateur astronomer. Langdon's life is a remarkable story of self-education and determination: he started work as a farmer's boy at the age of eight, ran away from the home to work for a shipowner in Jersey at fourteen, and was then employed by a blacksmith, canvas manufacturers, and a solicitor before finding work with the Great Western Railway. Langdon was from an early age interested in astronomy, and eventually constructed four telescopes and his own observatory. He developed his own method for photographing the moon and the transit of Venus, and presented a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society, which is included in the appendices. Langdon died before completing his autobiography, and the latter chapters on his scientific achievements and final years were completed by his daughter Ellen.