Publications Bibliography
The Kirtsos Historical Library of Homoeopathic Medicine: An Annotated Bibliographical Catalogue
by William E. and Florence A. Kirtsos
$375.00
xxiii, 323pp. Cloth, acid-free paper. 11 x 8.5 inches. Indexed. ISBN 978-0-930405-92-2.
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The Kirtsos Library of Homoeopathic Medicine describes the world’s finest private historical library on the history of homeopathy, containing over four thousand rare books, periodicals, letters, manuscripts, ephemera and artifacts dating from the 18th to the mid-20th century, described in 2200 catalogue entries. The product of 45 years of dedicated collecting, the library is especially rich in materials relating to homeopathy’s founder, Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843): It includes 166 Hahnemann listings, encompassing his first publications and all his classic homeopathic works and their translations, as well as numerous autograph letters, portraits and artifacts. In addition, the library contains a wide range of materials on the history and development of homeopathy, including classic works on homeopathic principles, philosophy, therapeutics, materia medica, surgery and veterinary medicine. Early works critical of Hahnemann and homeopathy are also represented.
Designed by noted book designer Jerry Kelly, set in Minion type and extensively illustrated in color, the finely printed catalogue contains 2200 annotated bibliographical listings interspersed with biographical sketches of 46 notable 19th- and 20th-century homeopathic physicians. Also included are a subject index; an index to periodicals, transactions and proceedings; a provenance index; and an index of inscribed copies.
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Reviews
“The William Kirtsos Library stands as one of the finest homeopathic libraries in the world. Its representation of Americana is unmatched, having not only complete runs of every significant American homeopathic journal but also a graduation diploma from the most important homeopathic college in history and much other ephemera that shows the role and status of homeopathy in its great American heyday, such as century-old drugstore display cases and postcards offered by homeopathic institutions depicting their buildings and grounds. It is an unbelievable collection that brings the visitor and researcher into the center of an era.”
—Daniel Cook, MD, DHt, Dallas, Texas
“Bill Kirtsos’s labor of love is a catalogue of his fabled homeopathic library—books, journals, letters, and memorabilia—surely the largest private collection in the world, all made available in an impressively bound hard-cover volume, and suitable for reference libraries and bibliophiles alike.”
—Richard Moskowitz, MD, DHt, Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts
“The Kirtsos Historical Library represents a remarkable work of preservation of a treasure of inestimable value for humanity.”
—André Saine, ND, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
"The book is lavish, optically beautiful with excellent script . . . It gives the possibility to become familiar with a one-of-a-kind collection of homeopathic history, and is an appropriate dedication to the years of work of William Kirtsos. It will be useful to anyone with an interest in the history of homeopathy, especially in America, and gives valuable information about unique source material and legacies. We hope that this collection, which documents the history of homeopathy in America like no other, remains intact and available in its entirety for future generations."
—Marion Baschin, Doctor of Philosophy, Institute for the History of Medicine, Stuttgart, Germany
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