In 1994, James Raven encountered a letterbook from the Charleston Library Society detailing the ordering, processing, and shipping of texts from London booksellers to their American customers. The 120 letters, covering the period 1758-1811, provided unique material for understanding the business of London booksellers (for whom very little correspondence has survived) and Raven decided to publish an annotated edition of the letters. The letterbook, reproduced in its entirety, forms an appendix to the present volume, but Raven's study has blossomed from a relatively narrow examination of booksellers and their customers to a larger exploration of the role of books and institutions such as the Library Society in the formation of elite cultural identity on the fringes of empire. As a result, this meticulously researched book has much to offer scholars of gentry culture and community in the eighteenth-century British Atlantic world as well as historians of the book--Publisher's Description.

The Microscope: Past and Present discusses the best methods of using microscope. This book presents a concise account of the development of this valuable tool, which is used at some time or another by almost every scientist. Comprised of seven chapters, this book begins with an overview of the factors that stimulated the rapid progress in microscopy. This text then describes the immense importance of the work of Robert Hooke in the development of optical devices for assisting the human eye. Other chapters consider the different types of compound microscopes and describe the single-lens or simple microscopes. This book discusses as well the development of the mechanical aspect of the microscope that resulted in a vast increase in the professional use of the microscope. The final chapter deals with the development of electron microscopes. This book is a valuable resource for medical students, scientists, and specialist workers in all fields of industry.

The Evolution of the Microscope covers some of the features of the history of the microscope and the rationale of the design features found in microscopes. The book discusses the first microscopes, the compound microscope in England (1650-1750), simple or single-lens microscopes, and the development of the achromatic microscope. The text also describes the microscope in Victorian times as well as the optical microscope since 1880. The search for greater resolving power such as the ultra-violet and electron microscopes is considered. Scientists and microscopists will find the book invaluable.