Dibner, Bern (1897 – 1988). ELECTRICAL MACHINES. 1957.
Early Electrical Machines: The experiments and apparatus of two enquiring centuries (1600 to 1800) that led to the triumphs of the electrical age. 8 ¼”w x 10 ¾”h. Norwalk: Burndy Library, 1957. 57 pps. Numerous illustrations; one fold-out. Wrappers. On the cover: an image of an early machine. Excellent condition.

Bern Dibner’s life is well summarized in the following excerpt from the web site of The Smithsonian Institution’s “The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology”.

“The Dibner Library traces its roots back to Bern Dibner (1897-1988), an electrical engineer, book collector, and philanthropist. Born in the country now known as Ukraine, Dibner immigrated to the United States in 1904 and settled with his family in New York City. He graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1921 and embarked on a career in electrical engineering which led to his patenting a number of inventions and his founding of the Burndy Engineering Company in 1924.

“Dibner, who was fascinated by both art and technology, found great pleasure in studying Leonardo da Vinci. This interest led him to obtain a small library (eventually called the Burndy Library) of works about da Vinci which grew over the years as Dibner's interests expanded into the history of electricity, the history of Renaissance technology, and finally the history of science & technology in general. His collection continued to grow, and in 1941 he formally set up the Burndy Library as a separate institution "to advance scholarship in the history of science." By 1964, Dibner's collection totaled over forty thousand volumes and he opened a new building in Norwalk, Connecticut, to house the library more appropriately”.

Dibner donated much of his library to the Smithsonian and to MIT. Later, the remainder was donated to the Huntington Library.

Dibner, Bern (1897 – 1988). GALVANI. 1971.
Luigi Galvani: An expanded version of a biography prepared for the forthcoming edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica. 8 ¼”w x 10 ¾”h. Norwalk: Burndy Library, 1971. Wraps. 24 pps. Three large folding images of drawings made from those in Galvani’s essay “De Viribus Electricitis”, 1791. On cover: image of an electrical apparatus illustrated in that essay.

Luigi Galvani (1737 –1798) was an Italian physician and physicist who lived and died in Bologna . Galvani's investigations with “animal electricity” led to the invention of an early battery, but not by Galvani, who did not perceive electricity as separable from biology. Galvani's name survives in the Galvanic cell , the galvanometer and galvanize.

“The Dibner Library traces its roots back to Bern Dibner (1897-1988), an electrical engineer, book collector, and philanthropist. Born in the country now known as Ukraine, Dibner immigrated to the United States in 1904 and settled with his family in New York City. He graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1921 and embarked on a career in electrical engineering which led to his patenting a number of inventions and his founding of the Burndy Engineering Company in 1924.

“Dibner, who was fascinated by both art and technology, found great pleasure in studying Leonardo da Vinci. This interest led him to obtain a small library (eventually called the Burndy Library) of works about da Vinci which grew over the years as Dibner's interests expanded into the history of electricity, the history of Renaissance technology, and finally the history of science & technology in general. His collection continued to grow, and in 1941 he formally set up the Burndy Library as a separate institution "to advance scholarship in the history of science." By 1964, Dibner's collection totaled over forty thousand volumes and he opened a new building in Norwalk, Connecticut, to house the library more appropriately.” Excerpt from the web site of The Smithsonian Institution’s “The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology”.

Dibner donated much of his library to the Smithsonian and to MIT. Later, the remainder was donated to the Huntington Library.

Dibner, Bern (1897 – 1988). BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 1976.
Benjamin Franklin, Electrician: in celebration of the two hundredth year of the nation he helped found. 8 ¼”w x 10 ¾”h. Norwalk: Burndy Library, 1976. 48 pps. Illustrated. Wrappers. Colored image of Franklin on cover. Excellent condition.

An account of Benjamin Franklin as a scientist including the lightning rod and kite-flying experiments.

“The Dibner Library traces its roots back to Bern Dibner (1897-1988), an electrical engineer, book collector, and philanthropist. Born in the country now known as Ukraine, Dibner immigrated to the United States in 1904 and settled with his family in New York City. He graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1921 and embarked on a career in electrical engineering which led to his patenting a number of inventions and his founding of the Burndy Engineering Company in 1924.

“Dibner, who was fascinated by both art and technology, found great pleasure in studying Leonardo da Vinci. This interest led him to obtain a small library (eventually called the Burndy Library) of works about da Vinci which grew over the years as Dibner's interests expanded into the history of electricity, the history of Renaissance technology, and finally the history of science & technology in general. His collection continued to grow, and in 1941 he formally set up the Burndy Library as a separate institution "to advance scholarship in the history of science." By 1964, Dibner's collection totaled over forty thousand volumes and he opened a new building in Norwalk, Connecticut, to house the library more appropriately.” Excerpt from the web site of The Smithsonian Institution’s “The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology”.

Dibner donated much of his library to the Smithsonian and to MIT. Later, the remainder was donated to the Huntington Library.

Drake, Stillman. COPERNICUS. 1973.
Copernicus: Philosophy & Science: Bruno-Kepler-Galileo. 8 ¼”w x 10 ¾”h. Norwalk: Burndy Library, 1973. Heavy blue pictorial cardstock wrappers. 31 pages, b/w illustrations. Excellent condition.

This book was published in 1973, the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicolas Copernicus. It shows how the great scientists Bruno, Kepler & Galileo build on the foundation laid by Copernicus.

Drake, Stillman. GALILEO. 1978.
Galileo Galilei. Operations of the Geometric and Military Compass 1606. Translated, with an Introduction by Stillman Drake. Washington, DC: The Burndy Library, 1978. 11"h x 8"w. Paper bound. 95 pages; numerous illustrations. The term "compass" as used by Galileo is the equivalent of the English term "sector", a folding set of mathematical scales used for complex calculations. "The instrument solved quickly and with sufficient accuracy problems of proportion, square and cube root, comparison of areas or volumes, model-building, and various basic military problems." Like new condition.

Frere-Cook, Gervis. MARINE ART. 1966.
The Decorative Arts of the Mariner. First American edition. Boston and Toronto: Little, Brown and Company, 1966. 12”h x 9 ½”w. [4], 296 pages. Seventeen authorities have written on their specialties, including vessels of the ancient world, Viking longships, steamships, ceremonial barges, Mississippi river craft, charts and maps, navigational instruments, figureheads, decorative rope, ship models, scrimshaw, and maritime art of Americas and the Pacific Ocean. Hundreds of illustrations, many in color. Blue and gray cloth. Dust jacket with price clipped. Very good condition.

Skempton, A. W. MAP COLLECTION. 1977.
Early Printed Reports and Maps (1665-1850) in the Library of the Institution of Civil Engineers. London: The Institution of Civil Engineers, 1977. 8 ½”h x 5 ½”w. xv, (i), 84 pages. 14 plates. Cloth with gold lettering.

The major portion of the book is devoted to early printed reports, showing the author, title, year published, size, and volume number within the series. Other sections pertain to maps and plans, reprinted reports, and anonymous reports. A subject index provides quick reference to the printed reports. Like new condition.