History of Science Collections

In addition to these named collections, other collections in the Department include important holdings (especially pre-1801) for the history of science. Check MadCat and the card catalog in the Department. Several exhibits and e-facsimiles drawing on the Department's holdings are available online.

Albert Collection Boyle Collection Cole Chemistry Collection Dissertations Collection (1600-1850) Duveen Alchemy/Chemistry Collection English Almanacs (1638-1860) Glaciology (White) Collection Linnean Collection Mathematical Textbooks (1800-1850)

Mesmerism Collection Miller Memorial Apicultural Library Isaac Newton Library Ornithology Collection Priestley Collection Robert Schadewald Collection on Pseudo-Science Science and Religion Collection Stem Cell Research Archives Project Thordarson Collection

See also Chemical, medical and pharmaceutical books printed before 1800 in the collections of University of Wisconsin Libraries by John Neu (Madison: University of Wisconsin, 1965).

Albert Collection
Hundreds of important works on optics and the eye primarily from the 18th and 19th centuries, along with earlier titles by Avicenna, Aguilon, Witelo, Parey, and Wiseman, a noteworthy copy of Hooke’s Micrographia, plus rare books in other fields. Many titles cataloged on MadCat. The gift of Daniel and Eleanor Albert. See the Libraries magazine (1999) for more information.

Boyle Collection
A nearly comprehensive collection of works by Robert Boyle (1627-1691), including first editions and items not recorded in Fulton's bibliography of Boyle. Acquired in 1958. Shelf-list available in the card catalog in the Department (see Non-current: 1068353-069692, 1070871-1070876).

Cole Chemistry Collection
Works on chemistry, from the 17th- through the 19th-centuries, some acquired in 1977 and more received in 1998 and thereafter as a gift from William and Nora Cole. See Chemical literature, 1700-1860 by William A. Cole (London, New York: Mansell, 1988). Most titles are cataloged in MadCat. The collection also includes significant manuscript holdings.

Dissertations Collection
Several thousand dissertations, mostly from Uppsala and Lund, Sweden; some from Finland and a few from Germany. Chiefly in Latin; many address topics in theology or philology.

Duveen Alchemy and Chemistry Collection
Some 3000 16th- and 17th-century works in alchemy and chemistry. See Bibliotheca Alchemica et Chemica by Denis L. Duveen (London: E. Weil, 1949). Titles in the Duveen Collection are cataloged in MadCat.

English Almanacs (1638-1860)
The almanacs, a subset of the Thordarson Collection, contain miscellaneous practical and historical information, including calendars, advertisements, astronomical and astrological information, timetables, and advice for farming and health. Chronological card catalog available, located within the Thordarson collection; see numbers 2775-2780, 2782-2834.

Glaciology (George W. White) Collection
Some 270 geological works, primarily English and French, of the 18th-, 19th-, and early 20th-centuries. Included are editions of works by Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749-1817). Shelf-list available in the card catalog in the Department (CA6361-CA6624).

Linnean Collection
Editions of the works of Carl von Linné. Many works cataloged in MadCat under the heading “Linnean Collection.” For additional works in other collections, consult the Author/Title Catalog and MadCat.

Mathematical Textbooks Collections
Some 150 volumes from the late 18th and first half of the 19th century, from the collection of William F. Jahn. The 18th-century titles are in Special Collections; the remainder are in the Memorial Library stacks (LB8J19 Cutter).

Mesmerism Collection
Documents the ideas of F. An. Mesmer (1733-1815). Shelf-list available in the card catalog in the Department (CA 3275-3287, including 12 volumes of pamphlets in CA 3278).

Charles C. Miller Memorial Apicultural Library
International collection of about 5000 titles (1600-1930) from around the world, including items from the H. J. O. Walker Library purchased for the Miller Collection. A list of the publications contained in this collection is located in the reference room of Special Collections (Z5256 W82, and Z5256 W35). Many titles are cataloged in MadCat under the heading “Charles C. Miller Memorial Apicultural Library.”

Isaac Newton Library
Ten books from his personal library, including a presentation copy of Boyle's Essays of effluviums (1675) and a heavily annotated copy of Eirenaeus Philalethes's alchemical work Secrets reveal'd (1669). Inventory available in the Department.

Ornithology Collection
Some 167 British and American titles, including color-plate items and scholarly studies, acquired in 1959 from Warner Taylor. Inventory and self-list available in the card catalog in the Department (Non-current: 1166940-1166976).

Priestley Collection
One hundred, thirty-five items, including the most important theological and scientific works of Joseph Priestley (1733-1804). Acquired in 1958. Shelf-list available in the card catalog in the Department (Non-current: 1069693-1070876).

Robert Schadewald Collection on Pseudo-Science
Nearly 900 titles collected by Robert Schadewald on a variety of pseudo-science topics, including creationism, cult activity, UFOs, and theories on Earth's size, shape, age and density. The collection also includes extensive archival materials. Acquired in 2001 (books cataloged in MadCat as CA 15700 no. 1 - no. 884; with supplements).

Science and Religion Collection
Gathered by Prof. Ronald Numbers, this collection features books and journals on the relationship of science and religion with a particular focus on creationism and evolution. A full inventory is available in the department. More than 700 titles, acquired beginning in 1999 (cataloged in MadCat as CA 15501 no. 1 - ).

Stem Cell Research Archives Project
The Stem Cell Research Archives Project collects, preserves, and provides access to records of stem cell research at UW-Madison and reactions in Wisconsin to work accomplished or underway at UW-Madison. The Project is a joint undertaking of the University Archives, the Department of Special Collections in Memorial Library, and the Historical Services in Ebling Library of the Health Sciences.

Thordarson Collection
Chester H. Thordarson, immigrant from Iceland and noted electrical engineer, built this collection on the history and development of English science. It includes about 5,000 titles in fine condition, and is particularly strong in ornithology and botany. A description of some of the collection is included in the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, v. 23 (1930) and 44 (1950); see also the scrapbook Bibliotheca Thordarsoniana; a private collection of scientific and technological literature, briefly described by J. Christian Bay. Chronological and author/title card catalog available; most titles are also cataloged on MadCat.