Microscopes and Microscopy

ABBE'S APERTOMETER; a Fine example in a velvet-lined red leather case, made by Carl Zeiss. An ingenious device, designed by Ernst Abbe, for measuring the numerical aperture of microscope objectives. Made of glass, this one has a distinguished provenance -- it was once the property of the important microscopist Edmund Spitta, who described the device and its use in his 1907 book, "Microscopy." Spitta's ownership is attributed in the letter shown here, though the buyer is unknown. It was sold again (to us) at Christie's London in 1996.

The apertometer itself is in perfect condition; clean and with the sharp edge of the glass entirely unchipped, unusual for this instrument. The auxiliary objective is likewise perfect in condition, as are the two metal sliders. The case shows a slight bit of exterior wear and some spotting (ink?); the metal latch is in good, untarnished, condition and works well. The interior lining is in fine condition. Note that when in the case, a white semi-circle made of thin card stock sits under the instrument, allowing the engraved scales to be read with ease.

The catalogue page shown here is from the 1903 "Microscopes and Microscopical Accessories" (32nd Edition) of Carl Zeiss, Jena, which includes references to journal articles from 1878, presumably near the date of its introduction.  SOLD

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.

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.

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.  $25.

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

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.

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.

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.

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).

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."