The controversial pen of Edwin Holmes

Abstract

Edwin Alfred Holmes (1839 -1919) is best remembered for his discovery of a bright comet in 1892, now known as Comet 17P/Holmes. An amateur astronomer and authority on optics, he was an original member of the BAA and contributed to its Journal and meetings for many years. As a prolific writer of letters to the English Mechanic, he developed a reputation for his controversial and acerbic penmanship.