Books and Manuscripts of the Bakken

Metuchen, New Jersey & London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1992. BRAND NEW in perfect condition. Just removed from the publisher's clear plastic shrinkwrap so we could write this description. Bright, clean, square and tight. Sharp corners. NOT a library discard. NO owner's name or bookplate. NOT a remainder. 1992. First Edition. This bibliography describes 6,000 rare books, journals, and manuscripts on electricity, magnetism, and their medical applications, mostly from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Also included are incunabula, examples of scientific quackery, classics from the libraries of Horblitt and Honeyman, a first edition of Shelley's Frankenstein, etc. Illustrated here are titlepage facsimiles, binding photos, and other reproductions, some in full color. Earl Bakken, inventor of the first wearable heart pacemaker, began this collection while he was CEO of Medtronics, a bio-medical firm in Minnesota. From the introduction: "The collections of The Bakken: A Library and Museum of Electricity in Life are firmly in in the traditions of electrical and scientific rare book collecting established… by Josiah Latimer Clark and Francis Ronalds… Herbert M. Evans, Everette Lee DeGolyer, Bern Dibner, Harrison D. Horbitt… As The Bakken omnivorously collected around the theme of electricity in life, it emphasized the biological and health-sciences aspects of electricity more than any previous science collectors... Each entry contains standard bibliographic information, including author's full name with birth and death dates... full title, city, publisher, and date of publication. Collations are given and include paging, illustrations, and size of the book. Early works have been provided with signatures, colophons, and incipits where appropriate... The catalog is lightly annotated... based on notes in rare book dealers' catalogues, bibliographies, and on articles and books in the history of several fields." Provenance, when known, is also noted. Entries are cross referenced to Ronalds, Wheeler, Gartrell. From the foreword by Willem Hackmann: "Earl Bakken has followed in the footsteps of the few other great collectors and bibliophiles in the field of electricity and magnetism, such as Francis Ronald, S.S. Wheeler, and more recently, Bern Dibner. Unusually, he is one of the few to have concentrated on both books and the associated instruments." Index. Bound in the original red cloth, stamped in shiny gold over black panels on the spine and front cover. Oversize Hardcover. 8.75" wide by 11.25" tall by 1.75" thick. This large, heavy book will require extra postage for Priority and International shipments, but only the standard charge for media mail.. First Edition. Oversize Hardcover. New/No jacket, as issued. xvii, 512pp. Great Packaging, Fast Shipping.