Spectacles And Other Vision Aids: A History and Guide to Collecting
Every so often a book becomes an instant classic and  defines  the field that it covers. Such a book was written  recently by J.  William Rosenthal . . . a visual masterpiece  . . . It belongs in the  collection of everyone who is  interested in the history of spectacles  and other visual  aids . . . .  --Ophthalmology Times July 1998Noted collector of antique ophthalmic material J. William  Rosenthal is founder and curator of the Jonas W. Rosenthal Memorial  Ophthalmology Museum at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana,  ophthalmic consultant for the Smithsonian Institution, and a practicing  ophthalmologist. His authoritative study of eyeglasses and other devices  to improve vision covers the origins of the manufacture of glass in  different regions, and how technological advances were joined with an  increasing understanding of optical physics and the medical aspects of  vision to provide more and more sophisticated eyeglasses. . . . This  magnificently designed book is a thoroughly researched and well-organized  reference work. The extensive illustrations show the wide range of  factors influencing the shape and function of spectacles throughout the  centuries. Specific manufacturing techniques, ophthalmological  developments, and fashion trends are clearly indicated by a judicious  selection of items from the author's collection and from other notable  collections. Basic terms and subjects are clearly defined, and the  chapters provide significant depth and always integrate each type of  eyeglass or visual aid into the broader general history of spectacle. . .  . In Spectacles and Other Vision Aids, Rosenthal demonstrates the  important role to be played by the scholar-collector in making available  for a wider audience the specialized knowledge gathered in the course of  accumulating a private collection.  --AB Bookman's Weekly March 31, 1997