Used Microscopes

A web site owned and maintained by Brunel Microscopes Ltd

click on the images to see a larger picture

Microscopy Books

click on the images to see a larger picture

Brunel Microscopes Ltd, Unit 2 Vincients Road, Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate, Chippenham, Wilts SN14 6NQ. Tel: 01249 462655. mail@brunelmicroscopes.co.uk

Almost a century ago  the thing that everyone wanted was a microscope because of this books about microscopes and specimen preparation were as plentiful as books (and Youtube videos) are today about computers and the Internet. Sadly the interest in microscopy - particularly amongst young people has diminished. As a consequence the number microscopy books have also diminished. Fortunately because the Laws of Optical Physics and the methodology of specimen preparation has not changed much in a century, these classic books are now worth their ‘weight in gold’.  


The Microscopic Photographs of J B Dancer

John Benjamin Dancer was an optician who lived most of his life in Manchester. He was the inventor of microphotography. The Dancer microscopic photographs averaged 1/8” inch in diameter and were produced as a scientific novelty to be viewed through a microscope. This excellently presented book brings together for the first time a nearly complete representation of the Dancer 1873 collection with biographical information on each microscopic photograph. Written by Brian Bracegirdle and James McCormick. Hard backed with 280 pages and a hard backed sleeve. Condition excellent


Price £40.00

Home

Contact Us

How to Purchase

About Us

New Microscopes

Future Updates

Prepared Slides

Stereomicroscopes

Accessories

Antiques

Bargains

Books

Budget

Vintage

Eyepieces

Exlaboratory

Objectives

Other Equipment

Leitz/Leica

Wild

Olympus

Nikon

Zeiss

How to use the Microscope

Written by Rev. Charles A Hall at a time when books about microscopy were extremely popular and plentiful - unlike today. Many of them seem to have been written by ‘men of the cloth’. This one would be ideal for the novice as it covers the use of the microscope and basic specimen preparation. Hard backed with its original dust cover, 90 pages with pictures and an index.


Price £10.00

God Bless the Microscope

Written by Gerard L’E Turner (a prolific microscopy book writer) this is a complete history of the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) over 150 years. Hard backed with 166 pages and some excellent photographs down the ages. Excellent condition.


Price £10.00

The Book of the Microscope

This is exactly the sort of microscopy book that needed to be written for current publication. This is one in a series of ‘how to’ books that were very popular when this was written in 1935. Clearly targeted at the beginner to microscopy the book covers the use of the microscope and specimen preparation techniques. Recommended for beginners or returners of advanced age! Hard backed with 245 pages and an index,


Price £10.00

Practical Microscopy

Written by F Shillington Scales in 1926, this book follows the classic pattern of the time. The first section deals with how to use a microscope and taking photographs with it, and the second section deals with the full range of specimen preparation. The interesting thing is that a book that is now a century old is still very relevant for two reasons. Firstly the laws of optical physics have not really changed during that period and neither have the principles of specimen preparation - visit any histology laboratory in any hospital path lab and the core of the specimen preparation remains the same. Hard backed with good illustrations  - 326 pages with index.


Price £15.00

Under the Microscope

Written by three authors; Curry, Grayson and Hosey. This is the complete microscope book at a level of detail well suited to the amateur microscopist who doesn’t want to be bogged down in too much detail. It takes you through the structure of the microscope and even tells you how to make one! Other chapters deal with mounting specimens, minerals, photography and more specialised methods. Many photographs and illustrations. Printed in 1982 it is hard backed with 160 pages and an index. A good book.


Price £12.00

Quekett Club Journals

This is Series 4, volume 2, no’s 1-3 of the Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club edited by H. Dennis. Published just after the end of the Second World War as life was struggling to come back to normal, volume 2 had only three numbers dated April 1945, February 1946 and April 1947. Obviously these show signs of their age but are all complete and intact. A collectors item.

 

Price £56.00

Quekett Club Journals

This is a complete Series 4, volume V, no’s 1-16 of the Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club edited by H. A. Dade. Published during the period after the Second World War when life had returned to some sort of normality. The numbers date from 1958 through to 1961. Obviously these show signs of their age at the edges but are all complete and intact.  


Price £66.00

Light Microscopy in Analysis

This is an excellent book that describes how microscopy plays its part in all aspects of modern life including the production of plastics, food, forensic investigation, water supplies, brewing etc with many more applications. Written by Simpson and Simpson it is hard backed with 215 pages and an index. A very instructive tome. Condition excellent.


Price £12.00

Fundamentals of Light Microscopy and Electronic Imaging

This is a superb book, but it is a book for the serious microscopist with some science background. It is certainly not for the ‘amateur’. That said, it is absolutely superbly written and covers every aspect of microscopy including dark ground, phase, DIC, polarising, fluorescence, confocal and digital. Written by Murphy and Davidson and published by Wiley-Blackwell. A substantial book, hard backed, 538 pages with an index, glossary  and a resource list


Price £30.00

The Polarising Microscope

An excellent book on the topic from an age when British microscope manufacturers commissioned books to support their products. Polarising microscopy has not changed much over the years and this book published by  Cooke Troughton and Simms remains current. Written for them by A F Hallimond it conjoins microscopy and mathematics. It even has SIN tables in the appendix - remember them? Hard backed with 219 pages and an index


Price £12.00

Applied Optics and Optical Engineering

This is a book for the serious microscope user. It deals in detail with the process and the theory and practice of microscope lens production. If you have ever wondered how it was done this is the book for you. Written by Rudolf Kingslake and published by  Academic Press it is hard backed with 374 pages and an index


Price £13.00

The Evolution of the Microscope

When it comes to the evolution of the microscope together with its history there are few more prolific authors that S. Bradbury - his name assures quality of material. This book of his follows the evolution of the microscope from its first days to the development of electron microscopy. If microscopes are your thing this is the book for you. Hard backed with 353 pages and a name and subject index. Recommended.  

Price £14.00

Elementary Microtechnique

If making microscope slides is your thing, then this is a must have book. The skills and knowledge that makes this possible just isn’t in microscopy books today. This volume as you can see has been well used probably in a laboratory situation, but the information between its covers is priceless. All aspects of slide preparation are covered in detail with recipes and practical tips in abundance. Hard backed with 330 pages and an index. Recommended


Price £20.00

Hartleys Microscopy

This is one of the classic microscopy books that has been out of print for too long. It deals with the microscope as an instrument with its structure and application explained in detail - you won’t get this from the Internet at least not all in the one place. 220 pages with and index.


Price £8.00

The Practical Use of the Microscope

This is a very good book for the microscopist who needs to know how a microscope works and how to prepare slides for it. The book details not only the many types of microscopes that there are but also explicit step-by-step procedures on how best to use them and prepare specimens. Hard backed with 491 pages and an index. A book that we highly recommend.


Price £18.00

Collecting Microscopes

There is quite a large number of microscopists who collect the instruments themselves, and this is a book that would be essential reading for all microscope collectors. Written by Gerard L’E Turner it covers the Christies Collectors Series. Hard backed with many superb colour photographs. It was first published in 1981 and has a list of values of microscopes from that date. It is quite straight forward to adjust these values based on the decades. Recommended.  


Price £18.00

Textile Fibres under the Microscope

This is a really good book on the subject with excellent photographs and it covers the different wool fibres, animal fibres, cotton, vegetable fibres and synthetic fibres. It is hard backed with 57 pages but for the subject matter there is no equal.


Price £15.00

Woodlice

How many houses in this country are not shared with with numbers of these little creatures that have enquired so many ‘pet’ names. In my household they were called ‘Billy Bakers’ - I have no ides why and maybe your names are more relevant. Either way if you want to know about the microscopic structure of these little creatures this is the book for you. 144 pages with an index.


Price £10.00

Introduction to Light Microscopy

This book is part of the RMS handbook series and is written by  two authors well known to microscopy - Bradbury and Bracegirdle. It covers the basic concepts of compound and stereomicroscopes and the different illumination systems. It is very much a step by step publication and is recommended. Pages 123 with an index


Price £12.00

Diatom Books

This is a pair of books that will appeal to the microscopists who are into Diatoms.

Number 1. Is the Illustrated Guide to the Diatoms of Costal Plankton and

Number 2. Is the Identification of Common Benthiic diatoms in rivers


Price £18.00

The Polarizing Microscope

This is an excellent book published by Vickers Instruments from a time when British microscope manufacturers published support literature for their equipment. Written by A F Hallimond this excellent book is very up to date on this topic. It is a third edition dating from 1970 and is hard backed with the original dust cover. 302 pages with an index. If polarising microscopy is your thing this is the best book you will find.


Price £20.00

Industrial Microscopy in Practice

This must be the complete microscopy book. Don’t be put off by the word ‘Industrial’ I have no idea why that was used. In reality it covers all types of microscopes and all types of specimen preparation. Published in 1961 but is still a mine of information and probably the only microscopy book needed if you are short of shelf space! Hard backed with 572 pages with an index.


SOLD

Microscope Design and Construction

Another example of microscope manufacturers publishing support material for their instruments. This one was published by Cooke Troughton and Simms and concentrates on all types of microscopes and what the various parts do. If microscopes are your interest this book is ideal Hard backed with 210 pages with an index.


Price £12.00

Freshwater Microscopy Book Set

A set of four books all relating to freshwater organisms.

1. An Illustrated Guide  to River Phytoplankton. 64 pages many illustrations

2  Freshwater Protozoa. 78 pages many illustrations

3. A Beginners Guide to Freshwater Algae. 47 pages illustrated.

4. Key to British and European Freshwater Bryozoans. 27 pages and illustrated


Price £12.00 for the complete set

A Guide to the Morphology of the Diatom Frustule

Published by the Freshwater Biological Association, this is a book for the diatom specialist. Written by Barber and Haworth this examines in detail the differences in diatom frustules which is one of the major identification elements of the type of diatom. Many excellent drawings showing the finer points. 112 pages


Price £8.00

An Atlas of British Diatoms

This is without doubt the definitive book about diatoms within British water.  Arranged by B. Hartley and based on illustrations of the late Horace Barber and J C Carter. Horace Barber was the driving force behind producing an atlas of all the diatoms found in the British Isles - he was also an accomplished artist. This is ‘the’ book for diatom microscopy. Hard backed with 601 pages and a full classification. Still in current publication.


Price £40.00

How to use the Microscope

Written by Hall and Linssen, this is a book for the beginner microscopist. It concentrates on the high power microscope and how to prepare common objects for microscope slides. A valuable book if information for starting microscopy is what you need. Hard backed with its original dust cover it has 79 pages with a list of UK microscope manufacturers sadly none of these serve today.


Price £8.00

Microscopy of Textile Fibres

This is one of the RMS series of microscopy books. Written by Greaves and Saville, it deals with the identification and measurement of fibres for polarising light microscopy and also scanning and transmitted electron microscopy and also confocal light microscopy. 92 pages with an index . Still available by special printing at £45.


Price £15.00

Food Microscopy

This is number 30 in the RMS series of books. Written by Olga Flint it covers the microscopy of food . It is amazing where starch manages to show up. This is no longer in current production. A very interesting book with 125 pages and many illustrations together with an index. Condition as new.


Price £10.00

Fluorescence Microscopy

Another excellent RMS publication. Combines the key aspects of theoretical and practical fluorescence microscopy and includes all the latest techniques and applications. The book describes the principles involved in fluorescence microscopy, the equipment required and the technology involved. Still a current publication costing £40. Condition excellent.


Price £15.00

Modern Photomicrography

One of the aspects of microscopy that we get asked about almost on a daily basis is the taking of photographs through a microscope. This book answers all the things that we say in response. Written by the pair of microscopy authors - Bracegirdle and Bradbury the subject is dealt with in detail and paying particular attention to illumination which is key to good results. 94 pages with an index. Recommended.  


Price £15.00

Introduction to Crystallography

A very specialised RMS microscopy handbook series 19. If the microscopy of crystals is your interest this is the book for you. However it is not really for those with a passing interest in crystals. This book is where geometry meets microscopy. 122 pages with an index. Condition very good.


Price £12.00

Unbiased Stereology

This book deals with how to make three dimensional measurements in microscopy. Written by C V Howard and M G Reed and is part of the RMS series. What is impressive is that the authors deal with this in a practical way that is easy to understand and they avoid complex mathematical formulae. They cover number estimates, length and particle sizes etc. 246 pages with an index. Condition very good.


Price £15.00

Aphids

This is an excellent book written by Roger Blackman. It contains everything you need to know about aphids including how to identify them and culture them. There are over 500 different species of aphids in the British Isles (most are on my broad beans!). Hard backed with 168 pages and in very good condition

 

SOLD

Contrast Techniques in Light Microscopy

One of the classics. Contrast in an image is essential to distinguish features from one another. This book covers them all bright and dark field contrast, Rheinberg illumination, dispersion staining, polarised light, phase and modulation contrast, DIC and fluorescence. Written by Bradbury and Evennett it has a wealth of knowledge. Condition excellent.

 

Price £22.00