vi, [2], 602 pp., one leaf of errata. 4to, fine cont. tree calf (very slightly worn at head), gilt borders on sides, spine gilt in compartments, red morocco lettering piece on spine. London: R. Faulder, 1797.

First edition and a lovely copy. This book was written at a pivotal point in the history of geology, after the publication of Hutton’s Theory of the Earth (1795) but before Playfair’s Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth (1802). It was a time when no theory had been generally accepted and Biblical theories were still widely current. Howard’s substantial book is a review of some... More

Six folding printed tables included in the pagination. xxxi, 510 pp.; xvi, [1], 529 pp. Two vols. 8vo, cont. tree calf, spines gilt, red & green morocco lettering pieces on spines. London: P. Elmsly, 1794-96.

Second edition, “with considerable improvements and additions” of “the first systematic treatise on mineralogy in English that is based on the chemical compositions of minerals…combined with the Wernerian method of using external features & properties of minerals as a means of identification.”–Sinkankas, p. 551.

“A greatly enlarged and completely rewritten edition, expanded in all parts, and with the addition of many more analyses, property determinations, and new species, etc.... More

3 p.l., xvi pp., 83 leaves, [84]-125 pp. Folio, cont. half-sheep & marbled boards, flat spine gilt. Frankfurt am Main: J.C. Hermann, 1806.

First edition and very rare; this is a systematic survey of minerals, in the form of tables, giving extensive descriptions of their external appearances and chemical qualities. Leonhard (1779-1862), professor of mineralogy at the University of Heidelberg, wrote the oryctognostic section, Merz (1776-1813), the orologic section, and Kopp (1777-1858), the chemical section.

“As a founding editor of the Taschenbuch für die gesammte Mineralogie, Leonhard earned a place among the foremost mineralogists of his time. His prolific writings contributed to... More

“LV. Conjectures concerning the Cause, and Observations upon the Phaenomena of Earthquakes; particularly of that great Earthquake of the First of November, 1755, which proved so fatal to the City of Lisbon, and whose Effects were felt as far as Africa, and more or less throughout almost all Europe” in the Philosophical Transactions, Vol. LI, Part II. For the Year 1760, pp. 566-634. One folding engraved plate. 4to, antique calf, spine gilt, red & green morocco lettering pieces on spine. London: L. Davis & C. Reymers, 1761.

First appearance of the first modern work on seismology. Michell (1724-93), was a man of wonderful versatility who... More

Finely engraved title-page, one folding engraved map, & numerous large & fine engraved head- & tail-pieces. xx, 464, [34] pp. Folio, cont. marbled sheep (lower cover a little abraded), spine richly & brightly gilt, orange morocco lettering piece on spine. Vienna: M. A. Schmidt, 1780.

First edition, and a really fine copy, of this beautifully decorated and attractive book. This work contains a detailed account and history, district by district, of the mines of Bohemia, an area of great mineral wealth including coal, lignite, iron, and the raw materials for porcelain. Peithner provides much information on the earlier and contemporary mineralogical and geological histories of the area... More

3 p.l., 88, 44, [13] pp. 4to, cont. blue boards (foot of spine a little defective). Berlin: C.F. Voss, 1757.

[bound with]:

—. Fortsetzung derer Chymischen Untersuchungen, welche von der Lithogeognosie, oder Erkäntniss und Bearbeitung derer Steine und Erden specieller handeln. 4 p.l., 120 pp. 4to (light foxing). Berlin & Potsdam: C.F. Voss, 1751. More

Six folding engraved plates. 1 p.l., xvi, 322 pp.; 1 p.l., 238 pp. Two vols. 8vo, cont. marbled boards, orange & pale blue lettering pieces on spines. Lausanne: J. Mourer, 1789.

First edition. Razoumovsky (1759-1837), a wealthy Russian aristocrat, spent most of his life in Switzerland, Austria, and Italy and wrote many noteworthy works on geological and mineralogical subjects (see Zittel, pp. 91 & 119).

“Very scarce…First and only edition of an illustrated account of the fauna and geology of the Swiss Jura, in the vicinity of Neuchâtel, Murten and Biel, northwest of Bern…The first volume describes the fauna according to the Linnean system. The second includes... More

x, 557, [1] pp. 8vo, cont. green sheep-backed green boards maroquiné, single gilt fillet round sides, flat spine gilt. Sion: A. Advocat, 1812.

First edition of this uncommon account of the mountainous canton of Valais (then known as the “département du Simplon”) in Switzerland. Schiner, a physician on the medical faculty at Montpellier, describes the geography, natural history, most notable buildings, costumes, cuisines and wines, commercial activities, roads, climate, structure of government, the mountains and glaciers, forests, etc., etc. The author also discusses the prevalence of goiter amongst the population, along with other diseases common to the canton.

Fine copy, signed by Prince Dietrichstein on the free front endpaper. More

Engraved frontis. port. of the author, two folding engraved plates (numbered “I” and “III”), & two folding printed tables. 7 p.l., 276 pp., one leaf of errata. 8vo, cont. speckeld boards (spine worn). Munich: J.B. Strobl, 1786.

First edition of this rare epistolary account of Schrank’s scientific field trip throughout Bavaria in 1784 and 1785. While Schrank devotes a good portion of the text to botanical observations, he also provides descriptions of the towns and cities visited, the geology and most remarkable natural features of the area, the monasteries, local customs, etc. The twelfth letter contains a learned account of Bavarian incunabula... More

Five engraved plates (four folding). 10 p.l., xxii, 359, [3] pp. Large 4to, later 18th-cent. mottled sheep, flat spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. London: Printed for the Author & sold by F. Gyles, 1734.

First edition of this publication sponsored by the Royal Society. Short (1690?-1772), physician, established his practice at Sheffield, and wrote a series of books on mineral waters, tea and other beverages, and medicine in general. He made several journeys to visit the mineral springs of Yorkshire and of other parts of England, becoming an expert on the medicinal uses and analysis of water. Following thirty years of... More

Engraved arms of the Grand Duke of Tuscany on title, a large folding engraved plate, & a folding sheet with descriptive letterpress. Title in red & black. 1 p.l., 78 pp., 1 leaf. 4to, modern panelled calf. Florence: ex Typographia sub signo Stellae, 1669.

First edition of a fundamental work for the modern sciences of geology, crystallography, and palaeontology. In this book, Steno “described the composition of the earth’s crust in Tuscany and a famous diagram in his book shows six successive types of stratification: the first attempt ever made to represent geological sections. This was a sequence which he believed would be found all... More

xxxx, 256 pp. 8vo, cont. paste-paper boards (minor foxing), uncut. Freiberg: Gerlach, 1791.

First edition. This work by Werner, who is known as the father of historical geology, describes his "theory of the origin of ore deposits which would be consistent with his general theory of the origin of the earth's crust...Many of its elements were of lasting value. Werner formulated basic questions about the origin and history of veins and their contents, established criteria for determining the relative age of veins and vein materials, and presented a comparative study of the structure of veins and rock masses...Perhaps the most important contribution... More