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A

[Anon.] Astronomy, in Supplement to the Encyclopedia Britannica, 5th Edition. Edinburgh: 1824. Disbound extract, pp. 9-189, 25 plates. Quarto, slight foxing to some of the plates, small damp-mark on corners of some plates. The sewing is intact for the text, but has separated from the plate block and some of the plates are loose. Very Good. $200.

A very comprehensive treatise, including an appendix covering the more technical details (e.g., calculating eclipses). The plates show the usual optical and geometrical diagrams, along with constellation maps and instruments, including orreries (by Jones, Ferguson, etc.) and astronomical instruments (e.g., telescopes, a transit, etc.). We have not been able to identify the author.

Austin, V.A. & Blankenhorn, R.C. A Preliminary Checklist of Books Relating to Microscopes and Microscopy. Redondo Beach, CA: The Gemmary, 1993. 133 pp., beige and black wraps. New copy. $15.

Part I deals with the light microscope and lists 1333 items; Part II adds an additional 292 items on electron microscopes. Useful for tracking down editions, authors, and bibliographical information.

B

Baker, Henry. A Report concerning the Microscope-Glasses, sent as a present to the Royal Society, by Father di Torre of Naples, and referred to the Examination of Mr. Baker, F.R.S. "Read April 17, 1766." Extract from Philosophical Transactions, v. 56 for 1766 and 1767. Disbound, consisting of pp. 57-92, the Baker on pp. 67-71. Other articles by Messier on a comet, by Brice on a comet (with a plate), and by Mallet on a transit of Venus (in Latin). Stapled at the gutter margin, otherwise a Very Good, crisp, copy. $75.

Torre sent some simple microscopes of extreme smallness (the smallest was 144th of an inch in diameter!) to the Royal Society. Baker found them to be unusable because of the extremely short focal length!

Bergson, Henri. La Pensée et le Mouvant: Essais et Conférences. Paris: Librairie Felix Alcan, 1934. First edition, 322pp., the paper somewhat age-yellowed and brittle, partly unopened. Attractively and tastefully rebound in beige quarter cloth and paper-covered boards, gilt spine label, original green paper covers (with some tears and edge wear) mounted and bound in. First Edition. Signed presentation copy: "Professor Philip Leon, with the compliments of H. Bergson." $250.

Philip Leon, the recipient of this book, was Professor of Philosophy at University College, Leicester and was heavily influenced by the Oxford Group in the 1930s. His 1938 Philosophy of Courage is still read as an important source for later Alcoholics Anonymous works.

The Billings Microscope Collection of the Medical Museum, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. [Ed. By James L. Hansen, et al.]. Washington, D.C.: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 1974. Second Edition. Grey and green wraps, 7 ¾" x 10 ¼", Colored frontis. +244 pp., illus., color plates. Very slight bumps to corners, a near-Fine copy. $125.

The most complete guide to the microscopes in one of the largest collections ever assembled. Each of 475 instruments is illustrated with a black & white photograph and a brief description is given. Includes some simple microscopes and some electron microscopes.

Bracegirdle, Brian. A History of Microtechnique. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1978. First American Edition. xiv + 359 pp., illus., plates (some colored). Black and red cloth, dust jacket. Fine copy in Fine dust jacket. $100.

The print and plates are of better quality in this edition than in the later, 2nd, edition.

Bracegirdle, Brian. Microscopical Mounts and Mounters. [London]: Quekett Microscopical Club, 1998. First Edition. Blue cloth, vi + 224 pp., illustrated, 60 color plates. New copy. $45.

A splendid alphabetical listing of hundreds of known mounters together with excellent color plates illustrating examples of the slides, and some text illustrations showing old catalogs. Printed on art stock paper, this fine work is a must have for every slide collector.

C

Chaucer, Geoffrey. Treatise on the Astrolabe. In R.T. Gunther, Chaucer and Messahalla on the Astrolabe. Now Printed in Full for the First Time, with the Original Illustrations. Oxford: For the Subscribers at the University Press, 1929. "Early Science in Oxford, Vol. V." First Edition of the Complete Text by Chaucer, First (?) English Edition of the Messallah. Blue cloth, gilt spine (externally Fine, the prelims foxed). vii + 234 pp., plates. Printed on heavy stock, which has made for a "tight" volume that will loosen if opened wide (hence the absence of internal photographs for our copy). Still, a near-Fine copy of a rare book. $500.

Chaucer's original text (assembled from various manuscripts) and the illustrations are included, along with a modern English translation. Skeat had published some of the text (without translation) in 1872, but with redrawn illustrations. As Gunther noted, these are essential to the text, which was written for Chaucer's no doubt precocious son, then aged 10! Thus, Gunther reproduces the original illustrations from the manuscripts. The work by Messahallah served as the source for Chaucer's knowledge of the astrolabe, and is included in both English translation and in the Latin original. A wonderful volume by the great poet-astronomer, the first detailed account in English of a complex scientific instrument!

Collins, Anthony. A Philosophical Inquiry Concerning Human Liberty. London, for R. Robinson, 1717. Small octavo, 4½" x 6½", vi + 2 [contents] + 115 pp.; complete with the supplementary errata slip pasted onto p. 115. Nine leaves of closely written notes in an old hand bound in at the beginning, relevant marginal notes in the same hand throughout (although these have been closely cropped by a previous binder, with occasional loss of a letter). In a recent speckled calf binding in period style, black gilt morocco spine label, a crisp, attractive copy. First edition. $1250.

Deist, freethinker, and philosopher, Collins (1676-1729) was a follower of Locke and an important determinist. The bound-in notes compare this edition to the 1790 edition prepared by Joseph Priestley, and the marginal notes are both relevant and interesting. Widely admired by materialists (including Voltaire), Collins was also widely condemned as "atheistic."

Cosslett, V.E. Bibliography of Electron Microscopy. London: Edward Arnold & Co., 1950. First Edition. 9" x 6", 350 pp. Blue cloth, in slightly worn blue dust jacket. An ex.lib. copy with call letters on the spine and d.j. and some internal markings. $135.

Especially valuable for the very extensive annotations that detail the early history and applications of electron microscopy.

D

Davy, Sir Humphry. Researches on the Oxymuriatic Acid, its Nature and Combinations; and on the Elements of the Muriatic Acid. With some Experiments on Sulphur and Phosphorus, made in the Laboratory of the Royal Institution. Extracted from Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London for the year 1830 Quarto, pp. 231-257. Stapled in a brown heavy paper cover, some foxing and browning of the edges. $400.

One of Davy's most important papers, announcing the discovery that "oxymuriatic acid gas" was not a compound, but a simple element, which he later named CHLORINE. A very important paper, in which Davy also shows that oxygen is not present in oxymuriatic acid (our "hydrochloric acid"), thus once and for all undercutting the oxygen theory of acidity. Fullmer, p. 61.

Davy, Humphry. Respirability of the Gaseous Oxyde of Azote, "Extract of a letter from Mr. H. Davy, Dated Clifton, April 17, 1799. " Single leaf, extracted from Nicholson's Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts, Vol. 3, 1799, p. 93. Slight soiling on one edge, edges uncut, Very Good

Together with:

Davy, Humphry. "Letter from Mr. Davy, Superintendant of the Pneumatic Institution, to Mr. Nicholson, on the Nitrous Oxide, or Gaseous Oxide of Azote, on certain facts relating to Heat and Light, and on the Discovery of the Decomposition of the Carbonate and Sulphate of Ammoniac. " Extracted from Nicholson's Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts, Vol. 4, 1800, pp. 515-518. Edges uncut, Very Good. For the two: $1750.

Davy's first book, Researches, Chemical and Philosophical; Chiefly concerning Nitrous Oxide (1800), has long been recognized as important in the history of science and medicine. At the time, Davy was assistant in Thomas Beddoes's Pneumatic Institution in Bristol. His inhalation experiments attracted wide attention, and began his strikingly fast rise to fame. Aside from his contribution to chemistry, Davy was the first to describe the results of inhalation of nitrous oxide ("laughing gas"), its analgesic properties, and its possible use in surgery. Although nitrous oxide was not exploited as an anesthetic until much later, Davy's book nonetheless is often regarded as a landmark of anesthesiology. These two letters constitute his first publications on the matter, preceding the book by months.

The first letter (which begins, "I have this day made a discovery") announces the respirability of nitrous oxide (Fullmer, 1799, #9) and the second provides details on the preparation of nitrous oxide and briefly outlines the forthcoming book (before turning to the other topics noted in the title). Davy notes that "A number of persons have breathed it." Oddly, the second paper is not recorded in Fullmer's otherwise very thorough bibliography. Together, these constitute a striking pair of papers, documenting the first steps of a brilliant discovery and a brilliant career!

Davy, Sir Humphrey. Six Discourses Delivered Before the Royal Society at Their Anniversary Meetings, on the Award of the Royal and Copley Medals; Preceded by an Address to the Society on the Progress and Prospects of Science. London: John Murray, 1827. First (and only) Edition. 11" x 9", xi + 148 pp. Quarter maroon leather (gilt titling), maroon cloth-covered boards (and old, but probably 20th c. binding, slightly rubbed), some light foxing throughout but still a clean, Very Good copy. $400.

Published shortly after Davy resigned his presidency of the Royal Society, this work includes seven of his presidential addresses, including his presentation of the Copley medal to Barlow and to Arago, and Davy's thoughts (upon his accession in 1820) on the current state of science. Interestingly, Davy, as President, cast the only vote against Michael Faraday, his own protege, for membership in the R.S.!

Eugene Dietzgen Co. Catalog of Eugene Dietzgen Co., Manufacturers Blue Print Papers, Drafting Room Supplies, Surveying Instruments, ... Thirteenth Edition. Chicago, 1928. Color frontispiece + 496 pp., illustrated (some in monochrome color). Paper samples mounted to inside front cover, price list in pocket at rear [dated August, 1928]. Decorated cloth, a near-Fine copy. $100.

Dobell, Clifford. Antony Van Leeuwenhoek and His "Little Animals" Being Some Account of the Father of Protozoology and Bacteriology and His Multifarious Discoveries in These Disciplines. Collected, translated and edited from his printed works, unpublished manuscripts and contemporary records. With an introduction by Cornelis B. van Niel. New York: Russell & Russell Inc., 1958. Vii + 435 pp., illustrated. Quarter yellow cloth with light green marbled boards, dust jacket (a bit worn and soiled, two 1" tears). $30.

Facsimile reprint of the 1932 first edition, a wonderful read about the father of microscopy! Many of the original letters are transcribed here, and there is a full account of his microscopes.

Ditisheim, Paul. Bibliographie générale de la mesure du temps, suivie d'un essai de classification technique et géographique. Paris: Tardy, 1947. First Edition. Bound in red cloth, gilt spine. 352 pp. + [1, Addenda]. Pencil owner's name on flyleaf, Very Good. $125.

Extensive bibliography of clocks, watches, chronometers, horology. Scarce in this edition. Preface dated 1943, but all sources give the edition date as 1947; was publication delayed by the war?

E

Eimer & Amend. Illustrated Wholesale Catalogue with Prices Current of Chemical & Physical Apparatus and Assay Goods. New York: Eimer & Amend, 1902. 418 pp., illustrated (some in monochrome color). Brown wraps (much worn, and mounted on linen, also worn, lacking spine). A much-used copy, with some pages loosening and some soiling. $65.

Lavishly illustrated production from this important firm, greatly enlarged from previous editions.

F

Faraday, Michael. Experimental Researches in Chemistry and Physics. London: Richard Taylor and William Francis, 1859. First Edition. Viii + 496 pp. + 3 plates [supplied in photocopy]. Green publisher's cloth, gilt spine (hinges splitting, trace of label removal on spine, endpapers browned). A clean and unmarked copy. $375.

An important collection, reprinting papers by Faraday published between 1821 and 1857. Our copy lacks the original plates, but is priced accordingly.

G

Gravé, Eric. Discover the Invisible: A Naturalist's Guide to Using the Microscope. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984. xvi + 202 pp., illustrated, color plates. Black cloth in pictorial dust jacket. Inscription and owner's label on free endpaper, remainder mark on bottom edge, otherwise a Fine copy. $25.

One of the best of the intelligent beginner's guides to microscopy, with exceptional illustrations.

H

Hudson, Hilda P. Cremona Transformations in Plane and Space. Cambridge: At the University Press, 1927. First Edition. Blue cloth (small nick top of front board), dust jacket (slightly chipped). Large octavo, xx + 454 pp. Near-Fine. $250.

Hudson (1881-1965) is best known for this work, which develops Cremona transformations as a means of dealing with singularities of curves and surfaces. "The main bulk of her work on Cremona transformations … was notable for the reason that the methods she employed were basically elementary—largely analytical geometry—but her success in their use was the result of a powerful, almost uncanny, geometrical intuition which enabled her to extract correct answers in her own way to quite formidable problems" (J. Semple, 1969, in Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society, Vol. 1, p. 358).

I

J

Jennings, Herbert S. Contributions to the Study of the Behavior of Lower Organisms. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Institution ,1904. First edition. Large octavo, 256 pp., illus., Recent cloth (slightly bubbled at lower corners), original spine label laid down. Very Good. $75.

Issued two years before his classic work, 'Behavior of the Lower Organisms,' this is a collection of seven original papers detailing Jennings's important microscopical and experimental work on the behavior of single-celled organisms. The illustrations are excellent, and show the movement patterns using an interesting "animation" technique.

K

P.J. Kipp & Zonen. Scientific Instruments. Delft: P.J. Kipp & Zonen, N.V. Instrumentfabriek, 1929. 11½" x 9", Red Printed Folder; a made collection of separately paginated illustrated brochures (about 150 pp. total, all in English). Very Good copy. $150.

Excellent catalog, covering (among others) thermopiles, X-ray equipment, microphotometers, arc lamps, absorptiometers, spectrographs, monochromatic equipment, diffraction gratings, and (our favorite), a device for measuring the brightness of stars, designed by A. Pannekoek and W.J.H. Moll. Extensively illustrated and with comprehesive explanations for use of the apparatus.

Kofoid, Charles Atwood and Swezy, Olive. The Free-Living Unarmored Dinoflagellata ("Memoirs of the University of California 5"). University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, 1921. First Edition. 13" x 10", viii + 562 pp., 12 colored plates, 388 figures in text. Maroon cloth, ribbed spine, lettered in yellow (rubbed on spine and front cover). Some foxing and yellowing, and the plates are separating. Very Good copy. $75.

Kofoid (1865-1947) was an important contributor to the knowledge of dinoflaggelates and to marine biology generally. An accomplished microscopist, Kofoid was head of the Marine Biological Station in La Jolla, which later became the Scripps Institute. The remarkable color plates in this volume show a variety of species.

Koyré, Alexandre. A Documentary History of the Problem of Fall from Kepler to Newton. De Motu Gravium Naturaliter Cadentium in Hypothesi Terrae Motae. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1955. "Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, N. S. Vol. 45, part 4." pp. 329-355, illustrated. Brown wraps, an ex-lib copy with the usual markings. $30.

Koyré (1892-1964) is well-known for his history and philosophy of science, and as an important precursor of Thomas Kuhn. The "problem of fall," detailed in this monograph, involves the question of whether a mass released above the surface of the moving earth would strike the surface to the east or to the west of its release point, and the question of whether it would in fact reach that center, if allowed to fall straight through to the center of the earth. This problem's long history is here detailed in meticulous fashion.

L

Lee, Arthur Bolles. The Microtomist's Vade-Mecum: A Handbook of the Methods of Microscopic Anatomy. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston, Son & Co., 1886. First US Edition. [Same year as London 1st, with identical text]. 5¼" x 7¾"; 424 pp. Original publisher's grey/blue cloth, gilt lettered spine (worn at ends, and with some minor spotting to the spine and covers). Name on half-title and title-page, a clean and tight copy, with only very minor age yellowing to the paper. $175.

"The most important of all books on specimen preparation," according to Bracegirdle, and the first truly scientific work on the subject. The book went through many editions, the last being in 1950. The coverage is extensive: microtomes, embedding methods, fixing, staining, serial sections, and much else. Very scarce; we have not seen a first (or first US) edition offered for sale in some years.

Lubbock, J.W. An Elementary Treatise on the Tides. London: Charles Knight & Co., 1839. First Edition. Brown wrappers (spine and edges worn, slightly soiled), vii + 54 pp. + advert. leaf + 3 fold-out plates at end, partly unopened, a Good copy. Presentation copy: "Professor Christie from the Author." Very scarce. $125.

John William Lubbock (1803-1865), a banker by profession, had an important career in London science, and was best known for his careful observational work on tides. This work centers on the mathematical theory of tidal prediction. "Professor Christie" is presumably Samuel Hunter Christie (1784-1865), professor of mathematics at the Royal Military Academy.

M

[Malthus, Thomas Robert]. Population, in Supplement to the Encyclopedia Britannica, 5th Edition. Edinburgh: 1824. Disbound extract, pp. 307-333. Quarto, very light age toning, a Very Good copy. $350.

Malthus's contribution to this volume (edited by Macvey Napier) presents the argument of his longer and more famous book in succinct form. Very scarce; not in Kress.

Maskell, H.P. (ed.). Photography. London: Hutchinson & Co., 1911. First Edition. 7¾" x 5¼". Colored frontis. + xvi + 438 pp., illustrated, plates (1 colored, in addition to the frontis.). Full tan calf, gilt, black morocco spine label, raised bands (light rubbing to corners and joints), marbled endpapers and edges (the edges darkened), school prize label. An attractive copy. $95.

A compilation of chapters by Maskell and other authors, dealing with all aspects of photography; cameras, developing, chemistry, optics, color printing, etc., etc. One of the plates is a genuine bromide print, while the color plates were printed using the "Tri-Colour Process."

Mayer, J(ulius) R(obert). Die Mechanik der Wärme in gesammelten Schriften. Zweite umgearbeitete und vermehrte Auflage. Stuttgart: Verlag der J.G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung, 1874. Second Edition (First was 1867). Contemporary half-leather, brown cloth spine (board edges and corners rubbed and worn, spine faded from the original color which was, perhaps, purple), some very light pencil notes in the first part of the book, Berlin booksellers ticket on front end paper, library discard stamp on title page (no other library markings), viii + 396 pp., Very Good. $275.

A collection of Mayer's important papers on the conservation of energy, greatly expanded from the 1867 first edition. Mayer (1814-1878) was the first to show the equivalence of mechanical work and heat, leading to Joule's experimental confirmation of the quantitative relation between the two.

McCrone, Walter C., Jr. Fusion Methods in Chemical Microscopy. New York: Interscience Publishers, 1957. 307 pp., Illustrated, plates (some colored). Color photographic frontispiece. Green cloth, corners bumped, flyleaf excised, a Good copy. $75.

McCrone was an ardent champion of direct optical microscopical analysis until his recent death. A master teacher and expositor, this book centers on methods and procedures which involve heating a compound on a microscope slide.

Mudge, William. An Account of the Trigonometrical Survey Carried on in the years 1791, 1792, 1793, and 1794, by Order of his Grace the Duke of Richmond, late Master General of the Ordnance. By Lieut. Col. Edward Williams, and Capt. William Mudge, of the Royal Artillery; and Mr. Isaac Dalby. Communicated by the Duke of Richmond, F.R.S. Extract from Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London for the Year MDCCXCV. London: Peter Elmsley, 1795. First Edition, Quarto. iv + [413 - ] 591 pp. + 4 folding plates. Rebound in tan cloth boards, paper labels, retaining the original title page and table of contents of the entire volume. Page edges age-darkened, some slight foxing and crinkling, a Very Good copy in a handsome new binding. $500.

Mudge (1762-1820) was responsible for a number of major innovations in surveying, and became director of the Ordnance Survey on Williams's death in 1799. The plates show a portable transit instrument, the plan for setting up a bar to determine the length of chains, and a large relief map showing the principal triangles used in the survey, stretching from Portland Point to Beachey Head.

Mulder, Gerardus Johannes. Versuch einer allgemeinen physiologischen Chemie. Mit eigenen Zusätzen des Verfassers für diese deutsche Ausgabe seines Werkes. Braunschweig: Vieweg, 1844 - 1851. Two volumes, bound as one. Xii + vi + 1289 pp. + 15 pp. (explanation of plates) + 20 plates (8 hand-colored). Marbled boards (front board loose), Part of original leather spine (gilt) tipped in. The binding poor, text and plates Good, with occasional foxing. [Binding this thick work as one volume was a mistake, however the original boards and spine could perhaps serve in a reconstructed binding]. $175.

Mulder (1802-1880) was a student of Wöhler and Bunsen and was Professor at Utrecht; this edition apparently translated (with additions) from the original Dutch. An important contribution to chemical microscopy, with vivid hand-colored plates.

Multhauf, Robert P. & Davies, David. A Catalogue of Instruments and Models in the Possession of the American Philosophical Society. Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society, 1961. xi + 80 pp., plates. Blue cloth, a near Fine copy in a chipped dust jacket. $30.

A range of instruments and makers are covered: a clock by Rittenhouse, a refractive sundial by Christopher Schissler, apparatus used by Benjamin Franklin, and so on.

N

Norris, Richard Hill. The Physiology and Pathology of the Blood: Comprising the Origins, Mode of Development, Pathological and Postmortem Changes of its Morphological Elements in Mammalian and Oviparous Vertebrates. "With Micro-Photographic Illustrations." London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1882. First Edition. xlv + 274 pp., + 23 plates (mostly photomicrographs). Brown cloth (spine lettered in gilt), brown endpapers (small red sticker on front paste down), a near-Fine copy of a scarce work. $250.

Norris (1830-1916) was among the first to observe platelets in the blood, publishing an article in 1878; an early attack on his work led him to issue this extended account, with nearly 200 photomicrographs. Norris, also a pioneer in photomicrography, used a variety of clever mechanical means to isolate the platelets and to photograph them under high magnification. He engaged in controversy with Giulio Bizzozero of Turin, who published a similar account in 1882. This book reprints Bizzozero's paper and the exchange between him and Norris, mostly from the pages of "The Lancet."

O

Oersted, Hans Christian. The Soul in Nature, with Supplementary Contributions (Translated by Leonora and Joanna B. Horner), 1852. First Edition in English. Frontis. + xlv + 465 pp. + 32 pp. [Publisher's catalog]. Blind-stamped red cloth, gilt spine (rebacked, with most of the original spine preserved), printed endpapers, bookplate of the "Library of the Path," ink stamp to verso of frontispiece plate ["United Lodge of Theosophists, … San Francisco"], slight foxing to title page and prelims, some gatherings unopened. Very Good copy, with an interesting provenance. $225.

Oersted's discovery of electromagnetism in 1820 "electrified" science in the 1820s (pardon the pun), and led to the search for a reciprocal effect, that of magnetism producing electricity, finally achieved by Faraday in 1831. Oersted's "Naturphilosphie" lay behind his scientific research. This book collects many of his less famous writings on the relation of science to religion, philosophy, and morality, and on nonscientific topics. A useful biography precedes the essays by Oersted.

P

Padgitt, Donald L. A Short History of the Early American Microscopes. London /Chicago, IL: Microscope Publications Ltd., 1975. First Edition. 8½" x 5½", xi + 147 pp., illus. Yellow cloth, some very minor smudges, a near-Fine copy. $95.

An essential work for those interested in American microscopy, covering the period from the 1840s to the first few years of the 20th century.

Pereira, Jonathan. A Treatise on Food and Diet: With Observations on the Dietetical Regimen suited for the Disordered States of the Digestive Organs,… New York: Fowlers & Wells, 1843. First American Edition. Dark brown blind- and gilt-stamped cloth (spine ends and corners with slight wear), xvi + 318 pp. + publisher's ads. Owner's pencil signature on flyleaf, light foxing throughout, a Good copy with good "shelf presence." $175.

An important study, the first to assemble a large body of evidence about nutrition, and with particular attention to the nutritional practices of institutions (prisons, asylums, and the like).

Q

Quekett, John. A Practical Treatise on the Use of the Microscope. London: Hippolyte Bailliere, Publisher, 1848. [Reprint of the First Edition, by Science Heritage Ltd., 1987]. Green cloth, gilt. Frontis. (showing a Ross Microscope) + xxi + 464 pp., illus. + adverts. (Ross, Dancer, etc.). Small corner bump, else as New. $50.

Nice reprint of this rare classic.

R

Reithmeier, Gordon P. Microscopes by Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., Rochester, NY, 1876-1896. Fallbrook, CA: The Gemmary, 2000 (first published 1997). Gray printed wraps, v + 57 pp., illus. New copy. $20.

Full page reproductions of all the key B&L instruments taken from the company's catalogues. Useful identification guide with helpful ancillary information (e.g., a list of serial numbers by date).

Robin, Ch. Traité du microscope son mode d'emploi ses applications a l'étude des injections a l'anatomie humaine et comparée a la pathologie medico-chirurgicale a l'histoire naturelle animale et végétale et a l'économie agricole. Avec 317 figures intercalées dans le texte et 3 planches gravées. Paris, Baillière et Fils, 1871, xx + 1028 pp. + adverts., illustrated, plates. Original dark green cloth, gilt spine (worn at edges), the binding somewhat loose. $150.

An important histologist, Robin wrote many books and was partly responsible for introducing the term "biologie" in France. The plates show two microscopes by Nachet and a variety of microscopical accessories.

Robinson, William E. Spirit Slate Writing and Kindred Phenomena. New York: Munn & Co., Scientific American Office, 1898. First Edition. 7 ½" x 5 ¼", Frontis. + v + 148 pp. + [4] pp. [publisher's ads]. Red cloth, decorated in gilt and black. Some rubbing and darkening (esp. to spine), corners and spine ends lightly worn, clean internally, overall Good to Very Good. $425.

Described on the title page as "Assistant to the Late Hermann," Robinson was a stage magician who apparently died in 1918 when a "bullet trick" in which he caught a bullet in his teeth went awry. The book describes the background for a large variety of stage tricks and spiritualist hoaxes, including magic slate writing, handcuff escapes, levitation, and others. Well-illustrated!

S

Smith, William. A Synopsis of the BRITISH DIATOMACEAE; With Remarks on their Structure, Functions, and Distribution; and Instructions for Collecting and Preserving Specimens. "The Plates by Tuffen West." 2 volumes. London: Printed for Smith and Beck, Published by John van Voorst, 1853-1856. First Edition. 10" x 7" Vol. 1: colored frontis. + xxxiii + 89 pp. + [2 pp.; "Smith & Beck; Microscopical Preparations of the Diatomaceae"] + 31 plates + 10 pp.; "Catalogue of Achromatic Microscopes, &c. Manufactured by Smith and Beck," March 1853; Vol. 2: colored frontis. + xxx + 107 pp. + [4 pp.; "Smith & Beck; Microscopical Preparations of the Diatomaceae" (much expanded from that in Vol. 1)] + [32] - 62 plates + 5 colored plates (numbered A through E) + 15 pp.; "Catalogue of Achromatic Microscopes, & c. Manufactured by Smith and Beck," London, March, 1856. Original brown blind-stamped publisher's cloth, gilt spines, professionally (and all but invisibly) strengthened, preserving the original cloth and endpapers. Contemporary bookseller's label on front flyleaves, owner's initials and dates ("1854" and "1856") on title pages, some foxing to some of the plates, a very few old pencil notes. An attractive and desirable set, the colors retaining their vivid hues! $750.

An extraordinary work, the first comprehensive account of English diatoms by the eminent Professor of Natural History at Queen's College, Cork, Ireland. That alone would guarantee the book a wide interest, but the set is also a collection of splendid plates by the eminent illustrator Tuffen West, seven (including the frontispieces) hand-colored and 62 uncolored, and all showing the mastery of this great naturalist and engraver. Hundreds of species are illustrated, and the fineness of detail and artistic presentation have, to our taste, seldom been equaled To cap off the pleasures of this delightful set, there are four catalogs by the eminent British microscope manufacturers Smith and Beck from their address at 6 Coleman Street, London.

Interest in diatoms among the British Victorian microscopists was growing rapidly by the 1850s, soon to eclipse that on the continent. In spite of the efforts of Pritchard and others, however, there had been no systematic attempt to catalogue the species most commonly found in Britain, so this work filled a large gap. In addition, Smith's careful research contributed greatly to an understanding of the structure, physiology, and reproduction of these enigmatic "infusoria," which he regarded as plants, closely allied to the algae. Serving as a standard ever since, his descriptions and the illustrations are still referenced in works on the diatom today.

Stark, Johann Christian. Lehrbuch der GEBURTSHUELFE zum Unterricht fuer HEBAMMEN "Mit einer lithogr. Tafel." Jena: in der Bran'schen Buchhandlung, 1837. First Edition. 8½" x 5"; xii + 292 pp. + folding plate. Mottled paper-covered boards and spine, paper title label (but unlettered) on spine, rubbed and worn at edges and corners, hinges worn (but tight). Contemporary ink notes (dated 1839) on endpapers, some foxing throughout, still a decent sound copy. $175.

Very scarce manual for midwives by Johann Christian Stark (1769-1837), with a nicely engraved lithograph folding plate (some foxing and tearing at the folds). A rare book, WorldCat listing only two copies worldwide. Not in Osler, Garrison-Morton, Norman Collection. Waller does mention two related works, nos. 9195 and 9196.

Stevenson, Edward Luther. Terrestrial and Celestial Globes: Their History and Construction ... Mansfield Centre, CN: Martino Fine Books, 1998, 2 volumes bound as one. ½" x 6". frontis. + xxvi + 218 pp., illus. + frontis. + xi + 291 pp., illus. Fine copy. $100.

Originally published in 1921, this work is a valuable history, covering antiquity to the 18th century. The reprint edition (limited to 300 copies only) includes both volumes of the original work in one volume.

Stodart, J. & Faraday, Michael (1822). On the Alloys of Steel. Extracted from the Philosophical Transactions, "Read March 21, 1822," pp. 253 - 269. Folio, 9" x 11½", later tissued spine, edges uncut, very faint edge browning and a very few foxing spots, overall a Very Good copy. $100

While still an assistant to Humphry Davy in the laboratory of London's Royal Institution, Michael Faraday, in collaboration with James Stodart, carried out an extensive series of researches on alloys of steel with other metals; platinum, rhodium, and others. Some of the samples prepared by Faraday were rediscovered in 1931 by Robert Hadfield, the great metallurgist, and turned out to be far ahead of their time, equal to some of the high technology alloy steels developed in the 20th century.

A striking paper, rich in details of procedure and reflecting Faraday's masterful sense of experimental research. These skills had already (by 1821) led to important findings in chemistry, electricity, and magnetism and would, by 1831, lead to his great discoveries of electromagnetic induction and the principles that the underlie modern dynamo.

[Sturm, Johann Christophorus, 1635-1703]. Mathesis Juvenilis: Or, a Course of Mathematicks for Young Students, Containing Plain and Easy Treatises, by Way of Question and Answer, in the following Sciences, viz. Astronomy, Chronology, Dialling, &c. Vol. III. London: for D. Midwinter, 1708. First Edition in English. 6¾" x 5", 453 pp., plates (1 folding). Contemporary calf, blind-ruled, spine with raised bands. Much worn, the front cover and flyleaf loose but present. Old signature on flyleaf, another has been cut from the top edge. Age-browned throughout. NUC calls for two folding plates, but only one is present here. $325.

An important work, containing some of the earliest descriptions of sundials (and hence important in the history of horology). Although an odd volume, it is complete in itself, beginning with the "Special or Theorical [sic] Part" of Astronomy (pp. 3-124), "The Science of Time, Or Chronology" (pp. 135-290), and "Gnomonicks, or Horologiography" (pp. 291-453), i.e., "Dialling." The many plates include images of a large number of sundials, some of very unusual configuration! Sturm was Professor at Altdorf, credited with reconciling Aristotelian and Cartesian notions of physics in Germany, and for important experiments on magnetism, hydrostatics, air pumps, etc. No copy in Norman, Clockmaker's Library, Honeyman, etc., but Baillie records a 1705 German edition.

Swietoslawski, W. Microcalorimetry. New York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1946. Yellow cloth, x + 199 pp., illus. Very Good copy. $20.

The author was "Professor in absentia of the Institute of Technology, Warsaw" and a senior Fellow at the Mellon Institute during WWII. Dedicated to "The Nation of Poland."

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Venn, John. Catalogue of a Collection of Books on Logic. Presented to the Library by John Venn. University Library Bulletin (Extra Series). Cambridge: At the University Press, 1889. First Edition. Paper-covered boards, cloth spine. 125 pp. 5" x 7¼". Price mark inked out on front cover, otherwise Very Good. $60.

An extraordinary collection listing 1125 books donated by the great logician John Venn (1834-1923). Still useful as a bibliography!

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Warner, Deborah Jean. Alvan Clark & Sons; Artists in Optics. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1968 ("U.S. National Museum Bulletin 274"). First Edition. Blue cloth (gilt telescope on front), 120 pp., photo illustrations. Fine copy. $50.

Scholarly account of the premier American telescope makers. Includes a list of all known surviving instruments as of the date of publication.

J.H. Weil & Co. "Weilco" Surveying Instruments, Drawing Materials, ... , Catalog No. 10. Philadelphia: J.H. Weil & Co. [1930]. 292 pp., illustrated. Paper samples mounted to inside front cover, Price list in pocket at rear. Decorated cloth, slightly soiled, Very Good copy. $65.

Willis, Robert. A System of Apparatus for the use of Lecturers and Experimenters in Mechanical Philosophy. "With Three Plates." London: John Weale, 1851. Folio, Three plates (two folding) + 52 pp. new green cloth (paper title label on front), original printed wrappers (chipped and slightly soiled) bound in. Light foxing to the plates. Still an attractive copy. $500.

Willis (1800-1875), the Jacksonian Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy in the University of Cambridge, is best remembered for introducing the term "kinematics" into English. His Principles of Mechanism (1841) introduced engineering to his analytical methods of mechanical design. In this work, he describes a "Protean System" for teaching and experimenting, a set of interchangeable parts that can be assembled in a variety of ways to perform and/or imitate a wide variety of machines and mechanical devices. A very scarce work!

Wynter, Harriet & Turner, Anthony. Scientific Instruments. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1975. First American Edition. Quarto, frontis. + 239 pp., illustrated, color and black & white plates. Tan cloth (small tear in front hinge), pictorial dust jacket (price clipped) and endpapers, a Very Good copy. $95.

Covers astronomy, navigation, sundials, surveying, and optics (mostly microscopes).

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Carl Zeiss, Jena. Astronomical Instruments, Optical Equipment, Observatory Domes, Observation Ladders, Rising Floors. "Astro 30." 1920. ["H. XII. 20" at end]. 142 pp., richly illustrated. 10½" x 7½". Brown wraps, unevenly faded, wraps loosening from text block, some wear and a short tear to edge of front. Faint owner's name on blank flyleaf, internally clean and bright. $250

Carl Zeiss, Jena. Astronomical Telescopes and Accessories. "This Catalogue is designated Astro 8." 1906. [Date at bottom of title page given as "VII. 06"]. 11¾" x 9". Blue-Gray wraps, with a gilt and black telescope on the front. 64 pp., richly illustrated, with tissue printed "addenda" tipped in on some pages, and one inserted at rear (torn, with some loss of text). Some cover wear, wraps loosening from text block, the stapled binding pulling through the endpapers, blank endpaper foxed, some very slight traces of foxing on a few leaves. Still a bright copy, internally clean, with prices indicated in Marks and Sterling. $900 MORE PHOTOS