An Organization of Chemical Bibliophiles

Henry Carrington Bolton. Image provided by Edgar Fahs Smith Collection, University of Pennsylvania Library.

CHF launched the Bolton Society in 1999 as an organization of collectors of materials about chemistry and its allied technologies. Named for chemist, historian, academician, and bibliophile Henry Carrington Bolton, the Bolton Society encourages and promotes the individual love for and collection of all types of printed material devoted to the chemical and molecular sciences. Secondarily, it supports and encourages the Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Library of Chemical History as a primary repository for such material. It is a committee of CHF’s Heritage Council.

How May I Become a Member?
Membership is open to any person who supports the objectives of the society. Members are drawn primarily from among bibliophiles, academic and industrial chemists and chemical engineers, philatelists, librarians, historians, and booksellers. To become a member, click the the application link that follows:

Membership Application (PDF format)

Print the form, and mail or fax your completed form to:

Elsa B. Atson, Bolton Society Secretary & Director of Library Services
Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia PA 19106-2702
Fax: 215-629-5205

Or you may call or e-mail Elsa Atson at:
Tel: 215-873-8205
E-mail: elsaa@chemheritage.org

Who Was Henry Carrington Bolton?
Henry Carrington Bolton (1843–1903) was a chemist, historian, academic, bibliophile, and renowned bibliographer of chemistry. Bolton documented the period 1492–1902 in his Select Bibliography of Chemistry, creating the definitive list of chemical books published during these 500 years. This massive reference work, listing more than 15,000 titles in chemistry, was published by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., in 1893, with supplements in 1899, 1901, and 1904.