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OUR RECOMENDATIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT REFERENCE BOOKS
GENERAL INSTRUMENTS
MICROSCOPES
TELESCOPES
GLOBES
ORRERIES
SUNDIALS
ASTROLABES
NAVIGATION INSTRUMENTS
SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS
DRAWING INSTRUMENTS
CALCULATING INSTRUMENTS
SCIENCE DEMONSTRATION
SCALES, WEIGHTS & MEASURES
METEOROLOGY INSTRUMENTS
MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS
AMERICAN INSTRUMENTS
OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS
This is a list of the reference books that we believe would be most useful to the instrument collector. Many of these books are out of print or quite rare and we do not always have all of them in stock. Those with prices are currently avaliable.
Griffin, John J. & Sons SCIENTIFIC HANDICRAFT $150.00
London: John J. Griffin & Sons, Ltd, 14th edition, 1910
(Fallbrook, CA: new facsimile reprint by The Gemmary, 1997)
8vo, pp 1040; hardcover; new copies
with over 2500 engraved text figures
Turner, G.L'E. NINETEENTH-CENTURY SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983
4to, pp 320; cloth, dj; new copy
with 30 colored and over 400 b&w text photos
Out of print (~$200 when available)
Turner, A. EARLY SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS EUROPE 1400-1800
London: Sotheby's Publications, 1987
roy 4to, pp 320; cloth, dj; new copy
with 31 color plates and many b&w text figures
Out of print (~$200 when available)
Morton, A.Q. & J.A. Wess PUBLIC & PRIVATE SCIENCE THE KING GEORGE III COLLECTION $150.00
London: Oxford University Press, 1993
roy 4to, pp ix,710; cloth, slip case
with many color and hundreds of b&w text photos
Wynter, H. & A. Turner SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1975
4to, pp 239; cloth, dj
with 285 b&w text figures and photos(some color)
Rare (~$325 when available)
Daumas, M. SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES AND THEIR MAKERS
London: Portman Books, 1989 printing
roy 8vo, pp vi,361; cloth, dj
with 142 b&w text photos
Out of print (~$100 when available)
Turner, G.L'E. COLLECTING MICROSCOPES
Christie's International Collectors Series
New York: Mayflower Books, 1981
8vo, pp 120; cloth, dj
with 102 instruments illustrated, many in color
Out of print (~$50 when available)
Turner, G.L'E. THE GREAT AGE OF THE MICROSCOPE $135.00
New York: Adam Hilger, 1989
roy 8vo, pp ix,379; cloth
with 453+ b&w text photos
Purtle, H.R. (editor) THE BILLINGS MICROSCOPE COLLECTION OF THE MEDICAL MUSEUM ARMED FORCES INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY
Washington, DC: A.F.I.P., 2nd edition, 1974
roy 8vo, pp xx,244; wrappers; new copy
with 475 b&w text photos of antique microscopes
Out of print (~$50 when available)
Clay R.S. & T.H. Court THE HISTORY OF THE MICROSCOPE
London: The Holland Press, 1975 (reprint of 1932 edition)
8vo, pp xiv,266; cloth, dj
with 164 b&w text photos and illustrations
Out of print (~$50 when available, )
Science Heritage Ltd. HISTORY OF MICROSCOPY SERIES $220.00
Chicago: Science Heritage Ltd, 1987
8vo, 8 volumes; buckram, buckram slipcase
King, H.C. THE HISTORY OF THE TELESCOPE
London: Charles Griffin & Co, 1955
8vo, pp xix,456; cloth
with 196 b&w text figures
Rare (~$150 when available)
Bell, L. THE TELESCOPE
New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co, 1st ed, 1922
8vo, pp ix,287; cloth
with 190 b&w text photos and figures
Out of print (~$75 when available)
Van Der Krogt, P. & E. Dekker GLOBES FROM THE WESTERN WORLD $95
London: Zwemmer, 1993
4to, pp 183; cloth, dj
with numerous color and monochrome illustrations
Van Der Krogt, P. GLOBI NEERLANDICI THE PRODUCTION OF GLOBES IN THE LOW COUNTRIES
Utrecht: HES Publ, 1993
4to, pp 647; cloth, dj
with many photos
Van Der Krogt, P. OLD GLOBES IN THE NETHERLANDS
Utrecht: H & S, 1984
8vo, pp 290; cloth, dj
with many photos (8 in color)
Out of print (~$100 when available)
Lamb, T. & J. Collins THE WORLD IN YOUR HANDS AN EXHIBITION OF GLOBES AND PLANETARIA
Leiden: Boerhavae, 1994
4to, pp 122; wrappers
with many color photos
Stevenson, E.L. TERRESTRIAL AND CELESTIAL GLOBES
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1921
8vo; 2 vols, pp xxvi,218;xi,291; cloth
with 143 b&w photo plates
Rare (~$750 when available)
King, H.C. GEARED TO THE STARS
Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1978
4to, pp xvii,442; cloth, dj
with many b&w text figures
"The evolution of planetariums, orreries and astronomical clocks"
Rare (~$325 when available)
Asprey & Co. THE CLOCKWORK OF THE HEAVENS
London: Asprey & Co, 1973
4to, pp 92; wrappers
with many photos
Out of print (~$35 when available)
Bryden, D.J. CATALOGUE 6, SUNDIALS AND RELATED INSTRUMENTS
Cambridge: Whipple Museum of the History of Science, 1988
4to, pp ca 100; wrappers
Out of print (~$35 when available)
Webster, R. & M. WESTERN ASTROLABES - Volume I - HISTORIC SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS OF THE ADLER PLANETARIUM & ASTRONOMY MUSEUM $50
Chicago: Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, 1998
4to, pp xiii,179; cloth, dj
with many figures and photos
Turner, A.J. THE TIME MUSEUM VOLUME I, PART 1 ASTROLABES, ASTROLABE RELATED INSTRUMENTS
Rockford: The Time Museum, 1985
4to, pp 270; cloth
with 189 color and b&w text figures
Gibbs, S. & G. Saliba PLANISPHERIC ASTROLABES FROM THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY
Washington, DC: Smithsonian institution Press, 1984
4to, pp viii,231; wrappers
with 130 b&w text figures
Out of print (~$50 when available)
Gunther, R.T. THE ASTROLABES OF THE WORLD
Oxford: At the University Press, 1932
(London: The Holland Press, reprint 1976)
folio; 2 Vols in 1, pp xvii,iii,304, vii,305-609
Rare (~$600 when available, original ~$2000 when available)
Ifland, P. TAKING THE STARS CELESTIAL NAVIGATION FROM ARGONAUTS TO ASTRONAUTS $65
Newport News: The Mariners' Museum, 1998
4to, pp xv,222; hardcover, dj
with many photos (most color)
Bennett, J.A. THE DIVIDED CIRCLE: A HISTORY OF INSTRUMENTS FOR ASTRONOMY, NAVIGATION AND SURVEYING
Oxford: Phaidon - Christie's Limited, 1987
4to: pp 224; cloth, dj
with 260 illustrations, including 16 in color
Out of print (~$175 when available)
Cotter, C.H. A HISTORY OF THE NAVIGATOR'S SEXTANT $50
Glasgow: Brown, Son & Ferguson, 1983
8vo, pp vi,226; cloth, dj
with several figures
Brewington, M.V. THE PEABODY MUSEUM COLLECTION OF NAVIGATING INSTRUMENTS WITH NOTES ON THEIR MAKERS
Salem, Mass: Peabody Museum, 1963
(Staten Island: Maurizio Martino, 1996 reprint)
roy 8vo, pp xii,155; cloth
with 57 b&w plates
Limited to 300 copies.
Out of print (~$150 when available, original ~$250 when available)
Randier, J. MARINE NAVIGATION INSTRUMENTS
London: John Murray, 1980
4to, pp 219; cloth, dj
with 244 b&w photos and many color photos
Out of print (~$125 when available)
Bennett, J.A. THE DIVIDED CIRCLE: A HISTORY OF INSTRUMENTS
FOR ASTRONOMY, NAVIGATION AND SURVEYING
Oxford: Phaidon - Christie's Limited, 1987
4to: pp 224; cloth, dj
with 260 illustrations, including 16 in color
Out of print (~$175 when available)
Kieley, E.R. SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS, THEIR HISTORY
Columbus, OH: Carben Surveying Reprints, 1979 (1947)
8vo, pp 273; hardcover
Smart, C.E. THE MAKERS OF SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS IN AMERICA SINCE 1700
Troy, NY: Regal Art Press, 1962
8vo, pp xxiv,282; cloth
with many b&w text photos
Rare (~$500 when available)
Bedini, S.A. EARLY AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR MAKERS $40
Rancho Cordova, CA: Landmark Enterprises, 1986
(facsimile reprint of U.S. National Museum Bulletin 231)
8vo, pp xii,189; cloth, dj
with 85 b&w test photos and figures
Hambly, M. DRAWING INSTRUMENTS 1580-1980
New York: Sotheby's Publications, 1988
sq 8vo, pp 206; cloth, dj
with 19 color photo plates and 175 b&w text photos & figures
Out of print (~$65 when available)
Cajori, F. A HISTORY OF THE LOGARITHMIC SLIDE RULE AND ALLIED INSTRUMENTS
together with ON THE HISTORY OF GUNTER'S SCALE AND THE
SLIDE RULE DURING THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY $25
(Mendham, NJ: Astragal Press reprint, 1994)
8vo, pp vi,164; cloth
Martin, E. THE CALCULATING MACHINES THEIR HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
translated and edited by P.A. Kidwell & M.R. Williams
Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992 reprint of 1925 original
8vo, pp xvii,367,(25); cloth
with 319 figures
Out of print (reprint ~$200 when available)
Horsburgh, E.M. (editor) HANDBOOK OF THE NAPIER TERCENTENARY CELEBRATION or MODERN INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF CALCULATION
Los Angeles: Tomash Publishers, 1982 (reprint of 1914 ed)
4to, pp xxi,vii,343,xii; acid-free paper, cloth, slipcase
with many b&w text figures; edition limited to 1000 copies
Out of print
Marguin, J. HISTOIRE DES INSTRUMENTS ET MACHINES A CALCULER TROIS SIECLES DE MECANIQUE PENSANTE, 1642-1942 $100
Paris: Hermann, Editeurs des Sciences et des Arts, 1994
sq 4to, pp 207; cloth, dj
with many color and B7w text photos and figures
Baxendall, D. CALCULATING MACHINES AND INSTRUMENTS
Catalogue of the Collections in the Science Museum
London: Science Museum, 1926 (1975 reprint)
8vo, pp viii,102,(19); wrappers
with 32 photos
Out of print (~$50 when available)
Turner, G.L'E. NINETEENTH-CENTURY SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983
4to, pp 320; cloth, dj
with 30 colored and over 400 b&w text photos
Out of print (~$200 when available)
Morton, A.Q. & J.A. Wess PUBLIC & PRIVATE SCIENCE THE KING GEORGE III COLLECTION $150
London: Oxford University Press, 1993
roy 4to, pp ix,710; cloth, slip case
with many color and hundreds of b&w text photos
Kisch, B. SCALES & WEIGHTS
London: Yale University Press, 1965
cr 4to, pp xxi+297; cloth, dj
with 98 b&w text figures and photos and 10 charts
Rare (~$125 when available)
Houben, G.M.M. 5000 YEARS OF WEIGHTS
Zwolle: G.M.M. Houben, 1990
8vo, pp 219; cloth, dj
with many b&w text figures
Goodison, N. ENGLISH BAROMETERS 1680-1860 A HISTORY OF DOMESTIC BAROMETERS AND THEIR MAKERS AND RETAILERS $80
London: Cassell & Co, 2nd edition, 1977
4to, pp 388; cloth, dj
with 194 b&w text photos
Banfield, E. BAROMETERS STICK OR CISTERN TUBE; ANEROID & BAROGRAPHS; WHEEL OR BANJO $85
Wiltshire: Baros Books, 1985
8vo, 3 vols; pp vii,246,vii, 151,vii, 150; cloth
with 296,30,165 b&w text figures
Middleton, W.E.K. INVENTION OF THE METEOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS
Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1969
8vo, pp xiv,362; cloth, dj
with many b&w text figures
Out of print (~$150when available)
Middleton, W.E.K. THE HISTORY OF THE BAROMETER $50.00
Baltimore: The John Hopkins Press, 1964
(Wiltshire: Baros Books, 1994 reprint)
roy 8vo, pp xx,489; cloth
with many b&w text figures
Frisinger, H.H. THE HISTORY OF METEOROLOGY TO 1800
New York: Science History Publ, 1977
8vo, pp x,148; cloth, dj
with many b&w text figures and photos
Out of print
Edmonson, J.M. AMERICAN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS $150
San Francisco: Norman Publ, 1997
4to, pp xi,352; cloth, dj
with color photos of 14 sets and 279 b&w photos
Bennion, E. ANTIQUE MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS
Los Angeles: U.C. Press, 1979
4to, pp xii,355; cloth, dj
with many photos (some color)
Out of print (~$250 when available)
Tiemann, G. & Co. AMERICAN ARMAMENTARIUM CHIRURGICUM $165
New York: George Tiemann & Co, Centenial Edition, 1889
(San Francisco: Norman Publishing, 1989 reprint)
4to, pp 846; cloth
with 4414 figures
Truax, C. THE MECHANICS OF SURGERY $155
Chicago: C. Truax, 1899
(San Francisco: Norman Publishing, 1988)
8vo, pp xliii,1024; cloth
with 2381 figures
Davis, A.B. & M.S. Dreyfuss THE FINEST INSTRUMENTS EVER MADE - A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MEDICAL, DENTAL, OPTICAL, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY TRADE LITERATURE; 1700-1939 $75
Arlington: Medical History Publ. Associates, 1986
8vo, pp viii,448; cloth
with 12 figures
Queen, James W. & Co. THE QUEEN CATALOGUES $245
Philadelphia: James W. Queen & Co, 1887-1890
(San Francisco: Norman Publishing facsimile reprint, 1993)
8vo, 2 Vols, ca 832 pp each; cloth
with approximately 3300 b&w text figures
(17 different catalogs included)
Pike, B. PIKE'S ILLUSTRATED DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF OPTICAL, MATHEMATICAL, AND PHILOSOPHICAL INSTRUMENTS $150.00
San Francisco, CA: Jeremy Norman & Co and Dracut, MA: The Antiquarian Scientist, 1984 (facsimile of the 1856 edition)
8vo, 2 vols. in one, pp xv,389,287,78; cloth
with over 1500 woodcut illustrations of instruments
Bedini, S.A. EARLY AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR MAKERS $40
Rancho Cordova, CA: Landmark Enterprises, 1986
(facsimile reprint of U.S. National Museum Bulletin 231, 1964)
8vo, pp xii,189; cloth, dj
with 85 b&w test photos and figures
Edmonson, J.M. AMERICAN SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS $150
San Francisco: Norman Publ, 1997
4to, pp xi,352; cloth, dj
with color photos of 14 sets and 279 b&w photos
Balzer, R. OPTICAL AMUSEMENTS: MAGIC LANTERNS AND OTHER TRANSFORMING IMAGES - A CATALOG OF POPULAR ENTERTAINMENTS
Watertown, MA: Richard Balzer, 1987
4to, pp 81; printed wrappers
with many b&w and color text figures and photos
Crompton, D., D. Henry & S. Herbert (editors) MAGIC IMAGES THE ART OF HAND-PAINTED AND PHOTOGRAPHIC LANTERN SLIDES
London: The Magic Lantern Society of Great Britain, 1990
4to, pp 96; hardcover
with many b&w and color text figures and photos
Fusslin, G. OPTISCHES SPIELZEUG ODER WIE DIE BILDER LAUFEN $55.00
Stuttgart: Verlag Georg Fusslin, 1993
sq 8vo, pp 120; cloth, dj
with many b&w and color text figures and photos
Waldsmith, J. STEREOVIEWS AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND PRICE GUIDE
Radnor: Wallace-Homestead, 1991
roy 8vo, pp ix,271; pictorial hardcover
with many photos
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