Autobiography of Sir George Biddell Airy

The author chronicles a career largely defined by his long stewardship of the Greenwich Observatory, detailing administrative duties, scientific investigations, and advisory work for governmental and professional bodies. He describes observational programs, instrument projects, time and longitude determinations, geodetic and tidal studies, and participation in standardization and public inquiries. The narrative leans heavily on preserved correspondence, annual reports, and published papers, while letters to his wife provide personal glimpses of earlier years. Extensive lists of published papers and reports illustrate the scope and continuity of his output. The later sections compress routine records and rely on journals and notes compiled by editors to summarize the closing years.