Schuh’s Annotated Bio-Bibliography


Return to main Biobliography page

MILLER, William Hallows.

(1801 – 1880)

(Born: Velindre near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales, 6 April 1801; Died: Cambridge, England, 20 May 1880) Welsh crystallographer.

Miller was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1826 as fifth wrangler. For a few years he acted as a college tutor, and on the resignation of W. Whewell he succeeded in 1832 to the chair of mineralogy at Cambridge, a post which he occupied until 1870. Miller was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1838. In 1843, he assisted the committee appointed to superintend new standards in weights and measures.

Biographical references: Annual Register. Barr, Index to Biographical Fragments, 1973: 178. BBA: I 768, 289-298; II 1658, 125. Cleevely, World Palæontological Collections, 1983: 204. Dictionary of Welsh Biography: 633 [by R.T. Jones]. DNB: 13, 430-1. DSB: 9, 392-3 [by D. McKie]. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition. ISIS, 1913-65: 2, 184. Nature: 22 (1880), 247-9 [by N. Story-Makelyne]. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie: Jg. 1881, 1 (1881), 1-6 [by M. Bauer]. Poggendorff: 2, cols. 151-2, 3, 915. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences: 16 (1881), 460-8 [by J.P. Cooke]. Proceedings of the Geological Society, London: 1881, 37-235, plates I-XVI [by R. Etheridge]. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: 31 (1881), ii-vii [by T.G. Bonney]. Sarjeant, Geologists, 1980: 3, 1724. WBI. World Who's Who in Science: 1183.

Treatise on Crystallography, 1839

1. English, 1839.
A | Treatise | on | Crystallography. | [rule] | By | W.H. Miller, M.A., F.R.S., F.G.S., F.C.P.S., | Fellow And Tutor Of St John's College, | and | Professor Of Mineralogy In The University Of Cambridge. | [rule] | Cambridge: | Printed At The Pitt Press: For J. {&} J.J. Deighton, Trinity Street. | London: John W. Parker, West Strand. | [rule] | M.DCCC.XXXIX.

8°: π4 1-174 182; 74l.; [i]-vii, [1] errata, [1]-139, [1] p., 10 plates (showing 149 mostly crystal drawings). Page size: 222 x 138 mm.

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii]-iv, "Advertisement."; [v]-vii, "Contents."; [1 pg], "Errata."; [1]-139, Text.; [1 pg], Blank.; [At end], 10 plates.

Very scarce. This work is the basis on which all modern crystallographic notation rests. Extending the previous work of William Whewell, Miller asserted that crystallographic reference axes must parallel crystal edges. His method of indexing crystal faces is based on a plane (111) intercepting the crystallographic axes at a, b, c such that the ratio along the reference axes is a/h: b/k: c/l, where h, k, l, are integers. This was an improved interpretation over the previous work of Christian Sammuel Weiss and C.F. Naumann, and the advantages of "Miller Indices," as they became known, was almost immediately apparent. None of the previous notational schemes were as easy to apply or as widely accepted as this method, which is still accepted today.

The text is divided into ten chapters: I. General Geometrical Properties of Crystals, II. Octahedral System, III. Pyramidal System, IV. Rhombohedral System, V. Prismatic System, VI. Oblique Prismatic System, VII. Doubly-Oblique Prismatic System, VIII. Twin Crystals, IX. Goniometers, &c., and X. Drawing Crystals and Projections.

Bibliographical references: Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 77. NUC: 384, 535 [NM 0593276]. Philosophical Magazine, 3rd Series: 16 (1840), 65-7.

2. French, 1842 [French transl.].
Traité | De | Cristallographie, | Par W.-H. Miller, | [...3 lines of titles and membership...] | Traduction Française | Par H. de Senarmont, | Ingènieur des Mines. | [tapered rule] | Paris, | Bachelier, Imprimeur-Libaire | De L'École Polytechnique, Du Bureau Des Longitudes, Etc., | Quai Des Augustins, No 55. | [short rule] | 1842.

8°: [i]-xv, [1], [1]-208 p., 12 plates.

Contents: [i-ii], Half title page, "Traité | De | Cristallographie," verso "Cet ouvrage se trouve aussi: ..."; [iii-iv], Title page, verso blank.; [v]-viii, "Avertissement Du Traducteur."; [ix]-x, "Avertissement Du L'Auteur."; [xi]-xv , "Table Des Matères."; [1 pg], "Errata."; [1]-208, Text.

Rare. Translated by H. de Senarmont from A Treatise on Crystallography (Cambridge, 1839).

Bibliographical references: BL [no copy listed]. NUC: 384, 535 [NM 0593275].

3. German, 1856 [German transl.].
Lehrbuch | der | Krystallographie | von | Professor W.H. Miller. | [ornate rule] | Uebersetzt und erweitert | durch | Dr. J. Grailich, | Assistenten am k.k. physikalischen Institute und Privatdocenten für mathematische Physik | und Krystallographie and der k.k. Universität zu Wien. | [double rule] | Mit einem Hefte von XIX Kupfertafeln. | [ornate rule] | Wien. | Druck und Verlag von Carl Gerold's Sohn. | 1856.

Text and atlas. [Text] 8°: π4 b2 1-208 214; 170l.; [i]-xii, [1]-328 p.; [Atlas] 4°: 19 plates (2 folding). Page size: 210 x 138 mm.

Contents: [Text] [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii], Dedictation.; [iv], Blank.; [v]-ix, "Vorwort des Uebersetzers"-signed Dr. Grailich, 16 June 1856.; x, "Marignac, Recherces ..."; [xi]-xii, "Inhaltsverzeichniss."; [1]-328, Text.

[Atlas] No copy examined.

Very scarce. Translation by Wilhelm Joseph Grailich from A Treatise on Crystallography (Cambridge, 1839). The translator added a chapter dealing with the optical characters of various mineral species and laboratory products.

Bibliographical references: Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 77. NUC: 384, 535 [NM 0593268].

An Elementary Introduction to Mineralogy. New edition, with extensive alterations and additions, by H.J. Brooke and W.H. Miller. (London, 1852).
See under: Miller, William Hallows.

Tract on Crystallography, 1863

4. English, 1863.
A Tract | on | Crystallography | Designed For The Use Of Students | In The University. | By | W.H. Miller, M.A. For. Sec. R.S., F.G.S., | [...5 lines of titles and memberships...] | Cambridge: | Deighton, Bell And Co. | London: Bell And Daldy. | 1863.

8°: π4 1-58 64; 48l.; [i]-viii, [1]-86, [2] p. Page size: 218 x 144 mm.

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso "Cambridge: | Printed By C.J. Clay, M.A. | At The University Press."; [iii]-iv, "Introduction."; [v]-viii, "Contents."; [1]-86, Text.; [2], Publisher's list.

Very scarce. Written as an introduction to the author's A Treatise on Crystallography (Cambridge, 1839), this volume contains the derivations and proofs of the crystallographic calculations used to produce Miller Indices. There are also some additional theorems concerning crystalline properties in general, which were not published in the original Treatise.

Bibliographical references: American Journal of Science: 2nd Series, 37 (1864), 148. Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 77. NUC: 384, 535 [NM 0593274].

5. German, 1864 [German transl.].
Eine Abhandlung | über | Krystallographie. | Von W.H. Miller, | Professor der Mineralogie an der Universität zu Cambridge. | Für Studirende der Mathematik und der Mineralogie | aus dem Englischen übersetzt | von | Dr. P. Joerres, | Recktor der höhern Knabenanstalt zu Ahrweiler. | [ornate rule] | Bonn, | Verlag von A. Henry. | 1864.

8°: π3 1-38 43; 30l.; [i]-vi, [1]-53, [1] p., 3 plates. Page size: 235 x 140 mm.

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii]-iv, "Einleitung."; [v]-vi, "Inhalt."; [1]-53, Text.; [1 pg], Blank.

Very scarce. Translation by P. Joerres [see note below] of A Tract on Crystallography (London, 1863).

P. Joerres. (Born:      ; Died:      ) .

Bibliographical references: (Joerres) No references found.

6. German, 1833.
A Table of Mineralogical Species. Cambridge, Printed by J. Smith; Published by J. & J.J. Deighton, 1833.

8°: 43 p. Page size: 225 x 145 mm. Rare.

Bibliographical references: NUC: 408, 403-5 [NN 0077171]. NYPL Catalog.

.