NATURAL HISTORY has always been one of the major specialist areas at Shapero Rare Books, particularly beautiful colour plate books of birds and flowers. We are very pleased therefore to announce the establishment of our new Science Department, which will complement Natural History by offering a wide range of works on biology, as well as chemistry and physics, astronomy, medicine, and technology, among others.

Leading this new department is our Science Specialist Laura Massey who says: ‘I’m very excited about developing our stock and meeting collectors, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch about either buying or selling books in scientific fields’.

Our website has been updated to reflect the new range of science books on offer, so it’s easy to browse based on your interests. There are eight new categories; let’s take a tour of a few of these with Laura:

BIOLOGY This category generally begins in the 1600s, as scholars transition from listing and describing animals and plants to investigating them using the scientific method. It includes topics such as evolution and genetics, microbiology, animal behaviour, palaeontology, ecology, and environmentalism. Some recent highlights include the first edition of Charles Darwin’s Descent of Man and the first publication of the complete human genome. And there will be plenty of visual material, like these frog and lizard anatomical diagrams.

Bastian SCHMID. Vergleichende Anatomie der Wirbeltiere: Rana esculenta. Wasserfrosch. [Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates: Rana esculenta. Water Frog]. Munich, [early 20th century].

PHYSICS One of my personal interests is modern physics. Our stock comprises ground-breaking research, including Hahn & Strassman’s first paper on the discovery of fission, as well as popular works like “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”. This category also covers public responses to issues like nuclear power and atomic weapons. And of course we’ll have a strong selection of classical physics, a current highlight being this handsome set of Newton’s Principia.

Richard FEYNMAN. "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" Adventures of a Curious Character. New York, 1985.

MEDICINE & ANATOMY These are perennially popular subjects in our New Bond Street shop – everyone is curious about the body! I’m particularly interested in anatomical illustration, from medieval astrology-based diagrams up through modern chromolithographic flap books. One recently sold highlight is this collection of eighty-four anatomical drawings made by Victorian medical students. And we’re developing a strong selection of medical books written not only for practitioners, such as Florence Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing, but also for lay people, like this 18th century pharmacopeia that was translated from Latin into English to improve the accessibility of medical information.

Charles BELL. The Organs of the Senses Familiarly Described, being an account of the conformation and functions of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and skin. Illustrated by twenty coloured plates. London, [c.1830].

William SALMON. Pharmacopoeia Londinensis. Or, the New London Dispensatory. London, 1702.

You can browse all the scientific categories here, If you don’t see what you’re looking for please get in touch with Laura. – we’re happy to add your interests to our wants list. You can also subscribe to our email newsletter to receive updates specifically on new stock in science and medicine.