The Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library, a collection in the Othmer Library of Chemical History, represents one of the richest single deposits of books on the history of chemistry in the world. Volumes in the collection date from the late 15th century to the early 20th century. This richly bound and illustrated two-volume, 1,500-page collection includes a color insert in each volume of important images from this extraordinary collection.

The bibliography includes many of the most important works in the history of science and technology. This is the most complete guide to this unique collection and a must-have for anyone interested in the remarkable story of the history of chemistry.

Acquiring and cataloging the books in his collection has been the life’s work for Roy G. Neville. A consulting chemist by profession, in 1973 he founded the corporation Engineering and Technical Consultants in Redwood City, California, of which he was president. He is also a passionate bibliophile by avocation. Neville began collecting books almost 60 years ago and amassed one of the largest private collections of rare books in the fields of science and technology, and chemistry in particular.