George Adams (c. 1709–1773) was an English instrument maker and science writer. His sonGeorge Adams, who carried on the business, was also known as an instrument maker and optician.

He was the eldest surviving son of Morris Adams, a cook, and his wife Mary, and was baptized in 1709. He was an apprentice to instrument makers, James Parker who died, and then Thomas Heath. He went into business in 1734, inFleet Street, London.^[1]

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  George Adamsmicroscope in theNational Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo
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  SeaQuadrant by George Adams, at TheMariners' Museum
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  Serial number, date, and signature from George Adams'quadrant, at TheMariners' Museum

Adams was best known forA Treatise Describing the Construction and Explaining the Use of New Celestial and Terrestrial Globes (London: 1766).^[2] There were later editions, but the claim of 30 up to 1810 is not now accepted.^[1] Other works were:^[2]

• Micrographia Illustrata, or the knowledge of the microscope explained (1746), which included "a translation of Mr. Joblott's observations on animalculæ", and had four editions to 1771.Henry Baker attacked this book, on grounds ofplagiarism.^[1]
• The Description and Use of a new Sea-quadrant for taking the altitude of the sun from the visible horizon (1748).
• The Description and Use of the Universal Trigonometrical Octant was invented and applied to Hadley's Quadrant (1753).

• Family history
• Mathematical Instrument Set
• Short bio onMuseo Galileo Virtual Museum

• English science writers
• English scientific instrument makers
• 1720s births
• 1773 deaths

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• Date of death missing
• Place of death missing
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