The Personal Recollections From Early Life To Old Age Of Mary Somerville

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Mary Fairfax, Mathematician, Astronomer, and Geologist, was born on 28th December 1780 in the Jedburgh Mansion on the Scottish Borders. This was the home of her cousin and future husband. She spent a large amount of time here; it was her uncle Rev. Dr. Somerville who encouraged her education. However her childhood home was Burntisland, which she describes as a ‘small quiet seaport town… situated on the coast of Fife, immediately opposite to Edinburgh’ [1]. Her biography ‘The Personal Recollections From Early Life to Old Age of Mary Somerville’ was compiles and published by her daughter, and contains her personal recollections and letters, providing us with a valuable insight into her personal and professional life. In this book, she describes