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Title: Red Cell Shape
Author: Edited by Marcel Bessis, Robert I. Weed, Pierre F. Leblond
Publisher: Springer-Verlag, Berlin
Year: 1973
Edition: First Edition, First printing
Format: Hardcover - dust jacket not issued - book presents in original state.
Ex-Lib: No
Condition: Very Good
Signed: Yes – signed and inscribed by Marcel Bessis
Provenance: Inscribed to UC Berkeley biophysicist Howard Mel
Book Description:
Scarce 1973 first printing hardcover of Red Cell Shape, a foundational monograph in blood cell physiology and pathology. Edited by acclaimed hematologist Marcel Bessis, with contributions from Robert I. Weed and Pierre F. Leblond, the book explores red blood cell morphology, ultrastructure, and deformability—laying groundwork for decades of hematological diagnostics and research.
Association Copy:
This copy is personally inscribed by Marcel Bessis to Professor Howard Mel, a biophysicist at UC Berkeley known for his work in electrophoresis and cell deformation. The inscription reads, “Pour Howard / amicalement / Marcel”—a collegial dedication reflecting their direct collaboration and mutual scientific respect.
Historical Significance:
• Marcel Bessis (1917–1994) was a trailblazer in hematology and cytology, credited with introducing key morphological terms (stomatocyte, echinocyte), advancing blood cell imaging via electron microscopy, and inventing the ektacytometer. He served as editor of Blood Cells, founded multiple French research labs, and was honored with the Legion of Honour and membership in the French Academy of Sciences.
• Howard C. Mel (1926-2023) was a long-serving professor of biophysics at UC Berkeley, known for his early innovations in electrophoresis and red cell deformability. He co-authored multiple pieces with Bessis, including the 1975 editorial “Hematology Without the Microscope” in Blood Cells. Mel also spent time in Bessis’s Paris laboratory, furthering their intellectual partnership.
This association copy captures a rare moment of scholarly exchange between two pioneers of cell biology and blood science.
Condition:
Very Good hardcover with clean, unmarked pages. Light shelfwear to boards. No dust jacket as issued. Includes a clear, bold inscription by Marcel Bessis on the front free endpaper. Binding strong, interior crisp. A remarkable scientific artifact with outstanding provenance.
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Thank you,
Book Squirrel
S4
