Founded in 1901 by the British Optical Association, the Library is one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of optical works, both modern and historical, in existence, containing some 6,500 optical books and pamphlets. Here we focus on a small selection of the collections most interesting/historically important works.
The BOA Library Collection contains four volumes on Galileo's philosophy and mathematics, written in the form of dialogues and letters. The first volume includes a life of Galileo.
One of the most interesting books in the Colleges historical collection is Georg Bartischs Ophthalmodouleia. This Greek word means the service of the eyes, literally eye-service although it can also be translated as when the eye is upon you as in Ephesians 6:6 when it is usually read in the sense of under observation.
For optometrists perhaps the most important of Newton's works is Opticks or a treatise of the reflections, refractions, inflections and colours of light. These experiments in light and colour caused considerable controversy among Newtons contemporarie