Catalogue of the Books in the Liverpool Medical Institution Library, W.A. Lee — 1st Ed

Publication: Liverpool, Liverpool Medical Institution, 1968

Formatting: 8vo, pp. [vi], 569.

Condition Report: Near Fine. The publisher's original blue-violet cloth binding remains exceptionally tight and structurally sound, exhibiting sharp corners and only the most microscopic hints of rubbing to the extreme head and tail of the spine. The gilt-stamped Hippocratic device to the upper board and the corresponding titling on both the board and spine remain unoxidised and remarkably bright, showing no signs of rubbing or dulling. Internally, the text-block is pristine, square, and firmly secured; the hinges are fully intact. The leaves themselves are clean, bright, and completely devoid of foxing, thumbing, or toning, maintaining crisp edges. A remarkably sharp, unread, and well-preserved copy.

Catalogue Note: This bibliography represents the definitive first edition of the modern printed catalogue for the institution, an ambitious project that superseded the earlier nineteenth-century printings and the institution's localized card catalogue system. The text is fronted by a black-and-white photographic frontispiece depicting the striking exterior of the historic Liverpool Medical Institution building.

The front board features a handsome gilt-stamped crest depicting the Rod of Asclepius bordered by the famous Hippocratic aphorism, "Ο ΒΙΟΣ ΒΡΑΧΥΣ, Η ΔΕ ΤΕΧΝΗ ΜΑΚΡΗ" (Life is short, and art long).

As an internally distributed reference volume, copies were primarily reserved for institutional members, librarians, and bibliographers. Consequently, well-preserved examples untouched by heavy library use are somewhat uncommon on the open market today. The work catalogues all non-serial material acquired by the institution up to the end of the nineteenth century, establishing it as an important reference point for medical historians tracing the circulation of antiquarian medical texts.

An essential reference for medical historians and bibliophiles alike, this comprehensive catalogue meticulously details the formidable collection of pre-20th-century texts held by the Liverpool Medical Institution. Compiled under the careful supervision of Resident Librarian W. A. Lee, it provides an invaluable window into the evolution of medical literature, documenting the treatises, textbooks, and surgical manuals that shaped centuries of clinical practice.