Rare books from Biomed Rare Books

Boston: W.M. Leonard, 1912. First edition. MANUAL FOR HARVARD MEDICAL STUDENTS BY LEGENDARY HARVARD PATHOLOGIST W.T. COUNCILMAN-SIGNED BY HIM. 9 1/2 inches tall hardcover, original green cloth binding, spine gilt, ink inscription front free endpaper to Dr. N.C. Foot ""with the kind regards of W.T. Councilman."" Edges lightly age-toned, otherwise very good+. Four 4x5 inch black & white photomicrographs laid in, with note dated 1913-18 Jan. PREFACE This manual has developed from the Syllabus of Pathology published by Councilman and Mallory in 1904, and is designed with special reference to the teaching of the subject. The work gives the plan which has been followed in teaching pathology in the Harvard Medical School, and which has proven to be successful. Illustrations were purposely omitted in the work. Excellent and accurate as are most of the illustrations in the current textbooks of Pathology, they still, when objective, represent areas carefully selected for the illustration of a point, more… Read More

Washington, DC: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1916, 1925, 1932. First edition. EARLY 19TH CENTURY LANDMARK ILLUSTRATED EVOLUTIONARY STUDY OF LAND SNAILS REVEALED THE IMPORTANCE OF GENETICS OVER ADAPTATION. Three 11 1/2 inches tall hardcover volumes, Vol 1 bound in red buckram, gilt title to spine, with library call letters at bottom of spine, canceled institutional library bookplate and handstamp to front paste-down and title page, 311 pp, 19 plates including folding tinted maps, 15 color plates containing over 700 images of Partula. Minimal wear to covers, binding tight, occasional marginal note, pages crisp and clean. Vol. 2 with black cloth spine and marbled paper covers, unmarked, binding tight, 116 pp, 10 black & white plates, 4 color plates containing over 200 images of Partula; Vol. 3 with black cloth spine, marbled paper covers, binding tight, inscription to Herr Professor Schwanitz on second flyleaf, pages crisp and clean, 16 plates of photographs and island topography (2 folding… Read More

Albany: W. & A. White & J. Visscher, 1842. First edition. 1842 FIRST EDITION BEAUTIFUL COPY OF FIRST VOLUME OF NATURAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK, CONTAINING 178-PAGE GENERAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK BY GOVERNOR SEWELL AND 33 SUPERB LITHOGRAPHS OF MAMMALS.9x12 inches hardcover in original black cloth binding with gilt emblem and blindstamped design to cover and spine, 178-page general introduction to the geography. history, and population of New York by Governor Seward, 8-page note on the penitentiary system of New York by Hohn L. O'Sullivan, 2 lithographic plates of the Croton Aqueduct, and 146-page report of the mammals of New York, followed by 33 fine lithographs of mammals. Very light surface rubbing, otherwise near-fine: an exceptional copy of this important record of New York before the Civil War. FROM INTRODUCTION: "The state includes an area of 46,200 square miles, divided into fifty-nine counties, and subdivided into nine cities, eight hundred and thirty-five towns, and one hundred and forty-five… Read More

San Francisco: W. H. Freeman & Co., 1966. First English edition. CONTROVERSIAL BOOK ON ANTIMATTER BY NOBEL LAUREATE HANNES ALFVEN - SIGNED WITH MARGINAL NOTES BY NOBEL LAUREATE MARSHALL NIRENBERG, TRANSLATOR OF THE GENETIC CODE. 8 1/4 inches tall hardcover, blue cloth binding, title to cover and spine, signature of Marshall Nirenberg to front flyleaf, with handstamp of Section of Biochemical Genetics, National Heart Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20014; [vi], 103 pp, marginal notes in penciel on pages 12 and 12; very good in very good dust jacket with small edge tears. HANNES ALFVEN (1908 - 1995) was a Swedish electrical engineer, plasma physicist and winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). He described the class of MHD waves now known as Alfvén waves. In 1937, Alfvén argued that if plasma pervaded the universe, it could then carry electric currents capable of generating a galactic magnetic field. His theoretical work on… Read More

1948 - 1989. First editions. 1948 - 1989 ARCHIVE OF OFFPRINTS BY EMINENT ECOLOGIST OLIVER PAYNE PEARSON, DIRECTOR OF MUSEUM OF VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY AT UC BERKELEY. Collection of 36 offprints, including 6 of the 7 cited as "seminal papers" by WZ Lidicker Jr and JL Patton in their obituary of Oliver Pearson (https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/inmemoriam/html/oliverpaynepearson.html). The offprints are in very good condition with the exception of curled corners on a few, and are unmarked save for occasional underlining of Pearson's name under the title, and signature of J. M. Taylor on upper right corner of 5 papers. PROVENANCE: likely Jocelyn Mary Taylor (1931 –2019), an American mammalogist, who served as president of the American Society of Mammalogists from 1982 to 1984. OLIVER PAYNE PEARSON (1915 - 2003) earned both an M.A. (1939) and Ph.D. degree (1947) from Harvard University. In 1947 he was appointed instructor in zoology at UC Berkeley, and in 1948 he was also appointed assistant… Read More

Washington: Government Printing Office, 1905. First edition. 1905 TWO GEOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS ILLUSTRATED WITH FINE LITHOGRAPHIC PLATES OF FOSSILS AND MAPS OF ALASKA REFLECT THE US GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT TO SCIENCE AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. Two monographs of the United States Geological Survey: Professional Papers 40 and 41, bound together. 11 1/2 inches tall hardcover, black buckram binding, paper labels to spine, bookplate of Library of the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences to front paste-down, 214 pp text, 85 lithographic plates with facing descriptive text; 133 pp, publications of the USGS, 3 pp, 20 photographic plates and maps (some folding). ALPHEUS HYATT (1839-1902) became a professor of paleontology and zoology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1870, where he taught for eighteen years, and was professor of biology and zoology at Boston University from 1877 until his death in 1902. He also served as curator of the Boston Society of Natural History. Hyatt studied under Louis… Read More

New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1927. First edition. 1927 EARLY ILLUSTRATED MONOGRAPH ON ONTOGENY AND PHYLOGENY OF APHIBIA REFLECTING THE EARLY HISTORY OF EVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY ("EVO-DEVO"). 9 1/2 inches tall offprint in brown printed paper wraps, pencil signature of Arthur Greenhall top of cover, pp 31-128, 30 black & white figures in text, 1 photographic plate, cover edges chipped, text pages lightly browned, binding sound, unmarked, very good minus. GLADWYN KINGSLEY NOBLE (1894 –1940) was an American zoologist who served as the head curator for the Department of Herpetology and the Department of Experimental Biology at the American Museum of Natural History. Noble received bachelor's and master's degrees from Harvard University in 1917 and 1918, respectively, and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1922. He joined the herpetology department in 1922 as a research assistant and assistant curator in 1917, and became the chairman of the department in 1924. He later formed the… Read More

Dayton, Ohio: The Weaver Publishing House, 1911. 5th edition, revised and enlarged. 1911 CURIOUS ILLUSTRATED HOME HEALTH GUIDE INDEXED BY CHIEF COMPLAINT WITH HUNDREDS OF REMEDIES. 11 1/2 inches tall hardcover, brown cloth binding with decorative title to cover, [5]-52 pp, CONTENTS: Physical Chart: Weights and Measures, Table of Doses for Children, Alimentatry Canal, Treatments [numbered 101 - 433, Index of Diseases, Diseases of Women, Diseases of Children]. Wear to corners and spine ends, hinges starting, ink notation verso of front flyleaf and inscription of patient names following several recipes (John Horner and Mrs. John Horner), titles of several recipes circled, ink blot margin of p 42; otherwise tightly bound with clean pages; good+. LAID IN: newspaper clippings taped to 8x11 inch Milk Wanted dairy card. An interesting early 20th century home health guide with recipes for treatment of every ailment from Impaction of ear-wax to St. Vitus Dance and Dropsy with Feeble Heart Action. This book is… Read More

Baltimore: The Williams & Wilkins Co., 1926. First edition. 1926 LANDMARK ILLUSTRATED MONOGRAPH ON MUSCLE PHYSIOLOGY INSCRIBED BY JOHN FULTON TO FOUNDER OF THE FALLON CLINIC. 9 inches tall hardcover, publisher's green cloth boards, blindstamped, gilt title to spine, bookplate of NSR Maluf and hand stamp of Fallon Clinic Library on front paste-down, inscribed on front flyleaf "To John Fallon from the flattered author, J.F. Fulton/Oxford/March, 1929". Corners lightly bumped, very good in custom archival mylar cover. GARRISON-MORTON No. 663, "A detailed study of the physiology of skeletal muscle. A valuable historical introduction will be found on pp. 3-55, and the book includes an extensive bibliography." JOHN FARQUHAR FULTON (1899 – 1960) was an American neurophysiologist and historian of science. He received numerous degrees from Oxford University and Harvard University. He taught at Magdalen College School of Medicine at Oxford and later became the youngest Sterling Professor of Physiology at Yale… Read More

London: The Cresset Press, 1949. First edition. 1949 AN EARLY ATTEMPT TO UNITE THE PHYSICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS--COPY OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER. 8 3/4 inches tall hardcover, black cloth binding, gilt title to spine, Ink signature "Skempton/ 1949" on front flyleaf, x, 182 pp, covers clean, binding tight, pages age-toned with scattered marginal notations, presumably by Skempton, jacket darkened with crease and closed tear to bottom edge, overall very good in good+ jacket. LANCELOT LAW WHYTE (1896-1972) was a Scottish financier and industrial engineer. He claimed to have worked with Albert Einstein on the unified field theory. He further claimed that this work was based on the theory of the 18th century natural philosopher Roger Boscovich. Whyte proposed something he called "the unitary principle" to unify physics theories. Whyte was the author of the book Internal Factors in Evolution (1968). He proposed that Darwin's theory of natural selection is limited… Read More

Edinburgh and London: E. & S. Livingstone Ltd., 1962. Second edition. UNIQUE DICTIONARY OF ANATOMICAL EPONYMS BY CURATOR OF THE HUNTERIAN MUSEUM IN LONDON--COPY OF AN ACADEMIC SURGEON WITH TLS FROM THE AUTHOR WITH POCKET CONTAINING IMAGES OF KIDNEY CASTS FROM THE MUSEUM. 9 inches tall hardcover, brown cloth boards, spine gilt, bookplate of NSR Maluf front paste-down; signed and dated November 4th, 1964 by author on title page; frontis portrait of Vesalius, 235 pp; very good in jacket lightly soiled, otherwise very good in mylar sleeve. Laid in TLS from author to NSR Maluf, dated 31st March, 1969, "Dear Dr. Maluf, I have great pleasure in enclosing the negatives of the photographs of specimens from the Hunterian Museum that you wish to have. I hope you will find them suited to your purpose. I have just received the magnificent work of Galen translated by Mrs. May. I am most grateful to you for this fine addition to my library. It is a book that I would possibly not have contemplated buying but I would… Read More

Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1915. Second edition. EMERGING QUESTIONS ON GENETICS, EUGENICS, AND SOCIETY IN MONOGRAPH BY LEADING BIOLOGIST E. G. CONKLIN, INSCRIBED TO MRS. CONEY AND SOLD AT LEGENDARY NEW YORK BOOKSHOP OWNED BY WOMEN. 8 inches tall hardcover, publisher's red cloth binding, gilt title to cover and spine, bookseller's label, "The Sunwise Turn, Inc., 2 E 31st St NY" bottom of back paste down. Inscribed front free endpaper, "My dear Mrw. Coney, You are a brave woman to have tackled such a book as this. I assure you that the first 429 pages are the worst. hoping that you will enjoy the rest of it, I am Cordially your friend, E. G. Conklin, Princeton, November 24, 1927." xvi, 550 pp, 82 figures. Light wear to covers, browning to first and last pages, binding tight, pages unmarked, very good. PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION: "Considerable changes have been made in Chapter III, section on Non-Mendelian Inheritance, Chapter IV section on Inheritance or Non-Inheritance of Acquired… Read More

London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green and John Taylor, 1831. First edition (later printing--1st 1830). 1831 EARLY PRINTING OF HERSCHEL'S LANDMARK GUIDE TO SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION THAT STRONGLY INFLUENCED DARWIN IN CRAFTING THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. 11x18 cm red cloth boards, paper spine label, armorial bookplate of Jas. R. Holcome, Jes. Coll. Oxford, laid-in list of Dr. Lardner's Cabinet Library , Vol 1, and Advertisement future volumes; 12 pp publisher's advertisements, vii, 372 pp, [1], 12 pp publisher's advertisements dated January 1831. Cover edges faded, edges worn, corners bumped, spine faded. unopened, text clean and unmarked, very good minus. SIR JOHN FREDERICK WILLIAM HERSCHEL (1792 - 1871) was an English polymath, mathematician, astronomer, chemist, inventor, and experimental photographer, and botanist. His Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy as part of Dionysius Lardner's Cabinet cyclopedia set out methods of scientific investigation with an orderly relationship… Read More

Chicago: American Medical Association Press, 1906. First edition. SCARCE FIRST EDITION OF LANDMARK BOOK ON INFECTION AND IMMUNITY INCLUDES "DISEASES OF DOUBTFUL OR UNKNOWN ETIOLOGY" (ALL NOW IDENTIFIED!) 8 inches tall hardcover, original black cloth boards, bright gilt title to spine, x, 600 pages. Minor edgewear, handstamp of Dept. of Bacteriology Medical College University of Cincinnati to front free endpaper and title page. Very good. LAID IN ORIGINAL ALBUMEN PHOTOGRAPH of postmortem lungs inscribed on verso, "Lungs/ Joseph Mendoza/ Subacute plague/ ground squirrel infection/ Alameda Co. Calif 1909/ Aug, with handstamp of photographer, R.E. Wales. PREFACE: "Immunity, in its present state of development, with its manifold new terms and special methods of experimentation, is a subject which appears difficult to one who has not studied the newer literature assiduously and grown into a knowledge of the conditions through actual work in the laboratory. Much of the literature is technical in character… Read More

Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1860. First edition. 1860 THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY JULY-DECEMBER 1860--CONTAINS 3 REVIEWS OF DARWIN'S ORIGIN OF SPECIES AND AN EDITORIAL PROMOTING LINCOLN'S CANDIDACY FOR PRESIDENT (BOTH MEN WERE BORN FEBRUARY 12, 1809). 9 1/2 inches tall hardcover, 3/4 black leather binding, spine with raised bands, gilt ruled compartments, and gilt title and initials of previous owner (Fr. A. Bryan). Edges marbled, marbled endpapers with armorial bookplate of Fr. A. Bryan to front paste-down, iv, 764 pp; joints starting, binding tight, light foxing to endpapers, pages crisp and unmarked, very good. Darwin first wrote to Asa Gray in 1855. A correspondence and intellectual comradeship quickly developed to the point where in July 1857 Darwin informed Gray of his as yet unpublished theory of natural selection, thereby making Gray the third person (after Joseph Hooker and Charles Lyell) to know his secret. Part of this letter to Gray was later included in the presentation to the Linnean Society in… Read More