[An Archive of Books and Papers from the Library of Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin]

1907-1988. [Physiology and Biophysics] ORIGINAL FELLOWSHIP DISSERTATION, NOTEBOOK, OFF-PRINT COLLECTION, AND INSCRIBED BOOKS. A remarkable collection of books and papers associated with the Nobel Prize-winning scientist, including the original typescript of the dissertation which won him a research Fellowship at Trinity College in 1936 and a year's study at the Rockefeller Institute in 1937. 1) HODGKIN, A.L., The Electrical Basis of Nervous Conduction, dated 1936 in pencil to title leaf. A4 type-written leaves in a black ring binder (34 x 26cm), pp.[2] 93. Including charts and diagrams drawn and affixed by hand, as well as occasional corrections and mathematical formulae written in by hand. With a selection of pencil and photocopied notes loose at rear. 2) HODGKIN, A.L., [General Notebook], dated 19th March 1988, inscribed 'A.L. Hodgkin | Physiological Laboratory | Cambridge' and 'please return if | found £5—00 reward' in blue ink to fly-leaf. A rough Chartwell Students' Sketch Book, yellow cloth over boards, more than 3/4 full with notes in various colours of ink. Also including a number of loose papers: 'Distribution of Membrane Proteins in Mechanically Dissociated Retinal Rods' by M. Spencer, P.B. Detwiler, and A.H. Bunt-Milam, from Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, vol. 29, no. 7, July 1988, inscribed from P.B. Detwiler in black ink: 'For Alan | with best wishes | Peter.' Three Abstract forms stapled together; two loose pages of general notes; one photocopied leaf from Hodgkin's memoirs, discussing his Fellowship thesis and his work at the Rockefeller Institute; and two photocopied letters from Hodgkin addressed to his mother from Cambridge in 1933, running to eight leaves altogether. 3) HODGKIN, A.L., [Off-Print Collection], three volumes containing numerous journal off-prints of articles by Hodgkin published between 1951 and 1980, bound in contemporary black cloth with gilt titles to spines. Lacking volume I, 1937-1950, and volume V, 1981-1988, as sold by Christie's 9th-30th July 2020, lot 159. Two volumes 24 x 17cm; one volume 31 x 22cm. 4) HODGKIN, A.L., The Conduction of the Nervous Impulse, Liverpool University Press, 1963. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.108. With occasional graphs and diagrams. Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. Inscribed in pencil to fly-leaf: 'A.L. Hodgkin | please return.' 5) HODGKIN, A.L., The Conduction of the Nervous Impulse, Liverpool University Press, 1967 (third impression). Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.108. With occasional graphs and diagrams. Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. Inscribed in blue ink to fly-leaf: 'A.L. Hodgkin | please return.' 6) VARIOUS, Les Prix Nobel en 1963, Stockholm: Imprimerie Royale P.A. Norstedt & Soner, 1964. Octavo (25 x 17cm), pp.332. Various languages. Including Hodgkin's Nobel Lecture 'The Ionic Basis of Nervous Conduction.' Publisher's cream cloth with orange titles to spine and upper. 7) HODGKIN, Thomas and Jonathan B., Hodgkin Pedigree Book, or, Dates of Births, Marriages, and Deaths of the Hodgkin Family. 1644-1906. Printed for Private Circulation, 1907. Small quarto (27 x 21cm), pp.33 [7]. With extensive black ink additions and annotations, including the insertion of Alan Hodgkin into the scheme on p.25. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper; floral patterned endpapers. 8) FISHER, Ronald A., and YATES, Frank, Statistical Tables for Biological, Agricultural and Medical Research, London: Oliver and Boyd, 1948. Small quarto (29 x 23cm), pp.viii; 112. Publisher's navy cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. Hodgkin's pencil ownership to fly-leaf. 9) BAYLISS, Sir William Maddock, Principles of General Physiology, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1927 (fourth edition). Octavo (26 x 17cm), pp.[2] xxviii; 882. With numerous in-text illustrations. A large tear to p.3/4 and facing plate. Gresham's School prize plate for Natural History, awarded to A.L. Hodgkin, to front pastedown, with blue ink Trinity College inscription above. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine, black titles to upper, and heavy sunning to spine. 10) KATO, Genchi, The Further Studies on Decrementless Conduction, Hongo, Tokyo: Nankodo, 1926. Octavo (23 x 16cm), pp.[2] 163 [1]. With frequent in-text diagrams and folding illustrations. Publisher's cream cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. 'Compliments of the Author' label to fly-leaf. 11) ADRIAN, E.D., The Physical Background of Perception, Oxford: at the Clarendon Press, 1947. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.[8] 95 [1]. Publisher's navy cloth with gilt titles to spine. Pencil ownership of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf. 12) FISHER, R.A., Statistical Methods for Research Workers, Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1948 (tenth edition). Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.xvi; 354 [2]. Publisher's blue cloth with titles in gilt to spine and blind to upper. Pencil ownerships of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf and first blank. 13) HILL, A.V., Muscular Movement in Man: The Factors Governing Speed and Recovery from Fatigue, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1927. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[10] 104 [2]. With occasional diagrams and photographic plates, including a frontispiece portrait of the author. Publisher's blue cloth with titles in gilt to spine and blind to upper. With an invoice from W. Heffer & Sons showing the sale of the book to A.L. Hodgkin in 1955, loose to preliminaries. 14) WILSON, Edward O., Biophilia, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1984. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[10] 157 [9]. Publisher's blue quarter cloth with cream cloth over boards and gilt titles to spine and upper. Blue endpapers. With the illustrated dust-jacket priced at $15.00, sunned to spine. INSCRIBED in blue ink by the author to first blank: 'For Alan and Marion Hodgkin | with warmest regards, | Edward O. Wilson | September 4, 1984.' 15) WEIDMANN, Silvio, Elektrophysiologie der Herzmuskelfaser, Bern: Medizinischer Verlag Hans Huber, 1956. Octavo (23 x 16cm), pp.100. With occasional in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's soft covers. INSCRIBED by the author in blue ink to half-title: 'To Alan, with thanks | Silvio.' 16) VARIOUS, Keith Lucas, Cambridge: W. Heffer & Sons, 1934. Octavo (19 x 15cm), pp.131 [1]. With a frontispiece portrait. Publisher's orange cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. INSCRIBED by a member of the Lucas family in black ink to fly-leaf: 'Alan Hodgkin | from | Bryan Keith-Lucas.' Also with a small associated note loose to preliminaries. 17) GUGGENHEIM, E.A., Boltzmann's Distribution Law, Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company, 1955. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[8] 61 [3]. Publisher's purple cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. Blue ink ownership of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf. 18) VARIOUS, Nerve Impulse: Transactions of the Fourth Conference, March 4, 5 and 6, 1953, Princeton, N.J., New York, NY: Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, 1954. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.224. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's grey/blue cloth with gilt titles to spine. 19) VARIOUS, Nerve Impulse: Transactions of the Second Conference, March 1-2, 1951, New York, N.Y., New York, NY: Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, 1951. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.204. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's grey/blue cloth with gilt titles to spine. 20) HARDY, G.H., Bertrand Russell and Trinity, a facsimile reproduction with a foreword by C.D. Broad, Cambridge: at the University Press, 1970. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.xiv; 61 [3]. Publisher's burgundy cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the photographic dust-jacket, priced at 80p / 16s. Pencil ownership of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf. 21) KATZ, Bernard, The Release of Neural Transmitter Substances, Liverpool University Press, 1969. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.x; 60 [2]. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. INSCRIBED by the author in black ink to fly-leaf: 'To Alan | from Bernard.' 22) KANDEL, Eric R., A Cell-Biological Approach to Learning, Bethesda, MD: the Society for Neuroscience, 1978. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[6] 90. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's maroon cloth with dulled gilt titles to spine and upper. INSCRIBED by the author in blue ink to fly-leaf: 'For Professor Hodgkin | with best wishes for the New Year | Dec. 1978 | Eric Kandel.' 23) DAVSON, Hugh, A Textbook of General Physiology, London: J. & A. Churchill, 1951. Octavo (24 x 17cm), pp.[2] x; 659 [1]. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams, and occasional plates. Publisher's green cloth with rubbed gilt titles to spine. INSCRIBED by the author in black ink to fly-leaf: 'To A.L. Hodgkin | with kind regards from the | author | Hugh Davson | 13.9.51.' 24) WHITEHEAD, A.N., Science and the Modern World, Cambridge: at the University Press, 1933 (sixth impression). Octavo (19 x 14cm), pp.xii; 265 [3]. Publisher's orange cloth with gilt titles to spine; top edge brown, fore-edge untrimmed. Black ink ownership of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf. 25) KEYNES, R.D., and AIDLEY, D.J., Nerve and Muscle, Cambridge University Press, 1981. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.viii; 163 [5]. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's yellow soft covers. INSCRIBED by the author in black ink to inside of front cover: 'A.L.H. | from | R.D.K. | 13.X.81.' 26) VARIOUS, The Properties and Functions of Membranes, Natural and Artificial: A General Discussion, London: Published for the Faraday Society by Gurney and Jackson, 1937. Octavo (25 x 17cm), pp.[2] 911-1151 [1]. With occasional in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's green cloth with black titles to spine and upper. Pencil ownership of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf. 27) PAULI, W., Theory of Relativity, London: Pergamon Press, 1958. Octavo (25 x 16cm), pp.xiv; 241 [1]. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to spine. Pencil ownership of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf. 28) VARIOUS, The Physiological Society, Cambridge Meeting and A.G.M., 19-20-21 July 1984. Octavo programme (25 x 17cm), with Hodgkin's notes in blue ink to back cover. 29) HILLE, Bertil, Ionic Channels of Excitable Membranes, Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 1984. Octavo (26 x 19cm), pp.[14] 426 [8]. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's black cloth with silver titles to spine and upper. INSCRIBED by the author in black ink to label on fly-leaf: 'September 1, 1984 | To Alan Hodgkin | with respect and admiration | for your insight as you | created this new field | of science. | Bertil.' 30) ECCLES, John C., ITO, Masao, and SZENTAGOTHAI, Janos, The Cerebellum as a Neuronal Machine, Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1967. Octavo (26 x 18cm), pp.[8] 335 [1]. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's blue cloth with white titles to sunned spine, and upper. Pencil ownership of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf. 31) VARIOUS, Electrical Activity of Single Cells, Tokyo: Igaku Shoin, 1960. Octavo (27 x 19cm), pp.x; 312. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. INSCRIBED by the editor in blue ink to fly-leaf: 'Professor A.L. Hodgkin | with the author's compliments.' 32) ECCLES, John Carew, The Neurophysical Basis of Mind: the Principles of Neurophysiology, Oxford: at the Clarendon Press, 1953. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.[2] xii; 314 [2]. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams. Publisher's navy cloth with gilt titles to spine. Pencil ownership of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf. 33) KATZ, Bernhard, Electrical Excitation of Nerve: A Review, Oxford University Press, 1939. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.[2] x; 151 [1]. With occasional graphs and diagrams. Publisher's maroon cloth titled in gilt to spine and black to upper. Blue pencil ownership of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf, and pencil notation to rear fly-leaf. 34) COLE, Kenneth S., Membranes, Ions and Impulses: A Chapter of Classical Biophysics, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1972 (second impression). Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[8] x; 569 [9]. With frequent in-text graphs and diagrams. Contemporary blue half morocco, with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and blue cloth over boards. Top edge gilt; marbled endpapers. INSCRIBED in black ink to label on first blank: 'Alan Hodgkin | who conceived, proved & | inspired so much of | this & the continuing | progress | Kacy | 1974.' 35) BOLAM, T.R., The Donnan Equilibria, and their Application to Chemical, Physiological and Technical Process, London: G. Bell and Sons, 1932. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.viii; 154 [2]. With frequent in-text graphs and formulae. Publisher's navy cloth with gilt titles to spine. Black ink ownership of A.L. Hodgkin to fly-leaf. Also with a leaf of notes on Steady State Mechanisms in black ink, and a letter in blue ink on Churchill College note paper dated 30th September 1964, apologising for keeping the book for so long. 36) DUBOS, Rene J., The Professor, the Institute, and DNA, New York, NY: The Rockefeller University Press, 1978. The second impression with AUTOGRAPH LETTER FROM MAX PERUTZ. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[10] 238 [2]. With a suite of six double-sided black and white photographic plates, and a frontispiece portrait of Oswald Avery. With an autograph letter in blue ink from Nobel Prize-winning scientist Max Perutz (1914-2002) loose to preliminaries. Dated 30th November 1980 and addressed to Hodgkin's wife Marni, it thanks her and Alan for their recent hospitality, and recommends the book as fine remembrance of times past. Publisher's blue cloth with silver titles to spine and grey endpapers. With the blue dust-jacket, priced at $14.50. Perutz's blue ink ownership to fly-leaf. Top 1/4 of letter heavily toned. All books are very good first editions, showing light to moderate handling and lacking jackets (except where stated otherwise). The dissertation is housed in a contemporary back ring binder in poor condition, with the spine and lower board almost detached. The leaves themselves are a little toned and handled to edges, but otherwise undamaged. This collection of books and papers, many with Hodgkin's ownership and warm inscriptions from the authors, constitutes a significant selection from his personal working library, which was evidently disbursed after his death, along with his Nobel Prize, which was notably sold for $795,500 in 2015. Alan Lloyd Hodgkin inherited a strong work ethic from his Quaker parents, who suffered abuse for their pacifist stance during the First World War. He did well, both at Gresham's School in Norfolk (a prize book from his school years is included here), and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he won a scholarship and later a research Fellowship. Particularly significant books include those by A.V. Hill (1886-1977) and E.D. Adrian (1889-1977), Nobel Prize-winning Cambridge dons of the previous generation; by John Eccles (1903-1997), with whom he shared the 1963 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine; and a retrospective volume on the life of Neuroscientist Keith Lucas (1879-1916), who had known Hodgkin's father George (1880-1918) at Cambridge. Hodgkin's research Fellowship dissertation on the electrical transmission of nerve impulses is by far the most important item here, being a unique typescript copy showing the wear of a lifetime of constant use to the ring binder. A.V. Hill sat on the panel which granted Hodgkin the Fellowship at the remarkably young age of 22, and immediately sent a copy of the dissertation on to Herbert Gasser, President of the Rockefeller Institute, who then invited Hodgkin to study at the institute in 1937. This early work was pivotal to the development of his later research with Andrew Huxley (1917-2012), in which they established how nerve impulses are exchanged between cells, leading to a joint Nobel Prize. Of great interest also is a personal notebook from the end of his career, stuffed with personal notes and "back of a fag packet" calculations. The bound collection of off-prints is not unique, with a more complete collection recently sold by Christie's, and further odd volumes currently available, but it is certainly rare. Taken together this collection, which includes a copy of the book containing Hodgkin's 1963 Nobel lecture, and a very rare volume on family history compiled partly by his grandfather Thomas (1831-1913), constitutes an important personal archive which should be of interest to scholars.