Hi All,
There was an excellent article in Astronomy Magazine in 1998 that outlined Robert Burnham's life story including the apparently dud-deal he got on the royalties on his magnum opus, the sad loss of his beloved job at Lowell Observatory (after the proper-motion study was concluded) and his very sad waning years.
His three volume handbook is a masterpiece of its time. Most, if not all of us who dabble in a bit of astronomical writing are dwarfed by his massive contribution that is still worthwhile as an observing guide today and is an outstanding literary work. You cannot read it without being moved by his love of the heavens and legendary encyclopaedic knowledge.
I see from the Wiki article that his 80th birthday would have been the other day on 16th June. It is extraordinarily sad that one so loved for his great work lived his last lonely years in obscure anonymity. I hope he has a wonderful view of the heavens nowadays.
Best,
Les D
Edit: Here's a link to the article in Astronomy Magazine:
http://www.astronomy.com/~/media/Fil...navigator.ashx