God Bless the Microscope! - A History of the Royal Microscopical Society over 150 Years

Oxford: The Royal Microscopical Society, 1989. First Edition. Cloth. Near Fine. First Edition. xi, [1], 116 pages. 8vo. Publisher's blue cloth gilt. A bright clean copy. No dust jacket as issued. Cloth. A history of the early days of the Society, with 48 illustrations of people involved, early microscopes, and other fun material.

"The Society was founded as "The Microscopical Society of London" in 1839 and was awarded its Royal Charter in 1866. A lot has happened since then...

The origin of the Society can be traced back to a meeting of seventeen gentlemen - including Edwin Quekett and Joseph Jackson Lister - at Wellclose Square, London on 3rd September 1839.

They met "to take into consideration the propriety of forming a society for the promotion of microscopical investigation, and for the introduction and improvement of the microscope as a scientific instrument." Following discussions, the group resolved to establish a Society and a provisional committee was appointed to see it through.

Their account of why a Society was necessary captures the tone of the era. It starts, "For some years past, several of the metropolitan microscopical observers have been in the habit of occasionally meeting in each other's houses, for the purpose of comparing the powers and other merits of different microscopes." It goes on to say how the increasing number of "lovers of the microscope" meant that a permanent address was needed where they could all meet for the purposes of "the advancement of the science of the microscope." And so, The Microscopical Society of London was founded." (from the society's history page).