{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Use British English|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox person | name = George Frederick Chambers | birth_date = {{birth date|1841|10|18|df=y}} | birth_place = Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, England | death_date = {{Death date and age|1915|05|24|1841|10|18|df=y}} | death_place = Sydenham, London, England | citizenship = United Kingdom | occupation = {{unbulleted list| barrister }} }}
'''George Frederick Chambers''' (18 October 1841 – 24 May 1915) was an English barrister, amateur astronomer and author, who wrote a number of popular books about science.<ref name="obit_mnras">{{cite journal | last = Maunder | first = Edward Walter |author-link= Edward Walter Maunder | title = George Frederick Chambers | journal = Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | volume = 76 | issue = 4 | pages = 258–259 | date = 1916 | publisher = Royal Astronomical Society | location = London | bibcode = 1916MNRAS..76R.258. | url = http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1916MNRAS..76R.258. |access-date= 22 May 2015 | doi = 10.1093/mnras/76.4.258 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name="obit_baa">{{cite journal | title = George Frederick Chambers | journal = Journal of the British Astronomical Association | volume = 25 | issue = 7 | pages = 345–346 | date = 1915 | publisher = British Astronomical Association | location = London | bibcode = 1915JBAA...25..345. }}</ref><ref name="johnson1990">{{cite journal | last = Johnson | first = Peter | title = George F. Chambers 1841–1915 | journal = Journal of the British Astronomical Association | volume = 100 | issue = 1 | pages = 13–16 | date = 1990 | publisher = British Astronomical Association | location = London | bibcode = 1990JBAA..100...13J | url = http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1990JBAA..100...13J |access-date= 22 May 2015 }}</ref><ref name="obit_obs">{{cite journal | title = Obituary | journal = The Observatory | volume = 38 | pages = 305 | date = 1915 | bibcode = 1915Obs....38..301. | url = http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1915Obs....38..301./0000305.000.html |access-date= 22 May 2015 }}</ref>
Chambers was born on 18 October 1841 at Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire. He was introduced to astronomy by his uncle, who owned an observatory in Eastbourne, Sussex, where Chambers stayed from time to time as a child. Chambers went on to study engineering as a student in London.<ref name="obit_mnras"/><ref name="johnson1990"/>
George Chambers published his first book, ''A Handbook of Descriptive and Practical Astronomy'', when he was aged only 19 years. It provided a review of astronomy across 600 pages. It was later republished in an expanded form, and eventually appeared as three volumes.<ref name="johnson1990"/>
Chambers turned from engineering to study law. He became a barrister in 1868, and worked for many years as a parliamentary barrister.<ref name="johnson1990"/>
Chambers set up home in Eastbourne in 1873, where he and his family lived until 1902. He built a private observatory, which he used to study double stars, variable stars, and star colours. He served as director of the Star-Colour Section of the British Astronomical Association between 1894 and 1900.<ref name="johnson1990"/>
Chambers became a prolific author. He produced a revised version of ''A Cycle of Celestial Objects'' by Admiral W. H. Smyth. This was followed by ''Pictorial Astronomy'' in 1891.
His most popular books were a series of introductions to astronomy, with volumes called ''The Story of the Solar System'', ''The Story of the Stars'', ''The Story of Eclipses'', and ''The Story of Comets''. These served to educate general readers about science.<ref name="johnson1990"/><ref name="obit_mnras"/>
Chambers also wrote geographical guides and travel books, including a ''Handbook to Eastbourne''. He was the author of many magazine articles and legal works.<ref name="johnson1990"/>
George Chambers later moved to Sydenham in south London. He died there on 24 May 1915.<ref name="obit_mnras"/><ref name="johnson1990"/>
== Works ==
* ''Stories of the Universe - The Stars'' (1895) * ''The Story of the Solar System'' (1895) * ''The Story of Eclipses'' (1899)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Gutenberg author|id=26324}} * {{Internet Archive author |sname=George Frederick Chambers}} * {{Librivox author |id=369}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, George Frederick}} Category:19th-century British astronomers Category:English male writers Category:Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Category:1841 births Category:1915 deaths