Waters Library

Oxford: W. Hall; G. Hall, 1660. First edition. Leather. Good. 7.5" by 5.5". None. A collection of two of James Ussher's works on the Old Testament, in the original Latin, in a good condition for its age. The first editions of these works.Two volumes in one.In Latin.Internally, this is in a very nice condition, a rare condition to find a book of this age.A collection of two works written by James Ussher.'Chronologia Sacra', published in 1660, this is the first edition. ESTC citation number R203869.... Collated, complete.This work is a corrected summary and supplement to Ussher's earlier work 'Annales Veteris Testamenti', which was a chronology of the Old Testament.'De Romanae Ecclesiae', published in 1660. ESTC citation number R203870. Collated, complete.James Ussher was a prolific scholar, and a school leader, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Amaragh and the Primate of All Ireland, between 1626 and 1656.'Chronologia Sacra' is edited by Thomas Barlow. In the original calf binding. Externally, the front board is detached but present. Small cracks to the head and tail of the rear joint. Rubbing to the boards and spine. Light bumping to the head and tail of the spine and to the extremities. A few marks and some discolouration to the boards and spine. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are age-toned with some spotting. Closed tear to leaf A2 of 'Chronologia Sacra', no loss of text. Tidemark to the tail of leaves D1-D4 of 'Chronologia Sacra'. Internally, this is in a very nice condition, a rare condition to find a book of this age. Goodmore

London: Printed by R. Norton, for Walter Kettilby, at the Bishops-Head in S. Paul's Church-Yard, 1684. Book. Very good condition. Hardcover. First Edition. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. All four books, with supplementary "Review", rarely offered as a complete text. First editions, published 1684-1690. 1) THEORY OF THE EARTH published 1684: [xvi], 224 pages of text; engraved title, two double-page engraved maps, text engravings. Contains Books I & II. 2) Bound with: THEORY OF THE EARTH published... 1690: [xiv], 224 pages; engraved title page and in-text engravings. Contains Books III & IV. 3) Bound with: A REVIEW OF THE THEORY OF THE EARTH, And of its Proofs: Especially In Reference To Scripture published 1690: [ii], 52 pages, followed by [i] page of publisher's advertisement. Books I, II, III, IV and the REVIEW all have their own title page. Original paneled calf boards, rebacked in full leather with corners strengthened. The boards are somewhat worn. The gutter (inner margin) of the text has numerous small worm holes, which do not enter the text. The first engraved title page is creased and it and the title page are slightly soiled. The map of The Americas depicts California as an island. Lowndes "[This work] will ever continue to charm the reader by the eloquence of its style, and the grandeur of its imagery". Wing B5950. First edition in English, with the first edition in Latin issued in 1681 under the title "Telluris Theoria"..more

[xii], 358 pages of text, followed by [xii] including the errata leaf and an index. Lacks the folding map of Oxfordshire. Otherwise complete with engraved title page and 16 full-page engraved plates by Michael Burghers. Original boards with corners strengthened attached to new leather spine. Endpapers renewed. There is moderate shelfwear and rubbing. There is minor foxing and soiling scattered throughout the text, minor staining to the corners of the first and final leaves, and several pages have... small tears repaired. Four issues of the first edition are known, with no priority established. In our issue the author's name is given in full and there is no reference to price on the title page. 320mm x201mm (12 1/2" x 8"). First edition, unknown/undetermined issue. Lowndes 1886.more

London: Whittingham ...and published by Robson, et al., 1811. FIRST EDITION. I. Vegetable Kingdom. 1804. [iv]-vi-xii, 471, [1], [8]- index, works by author and leaf of preparing for the press A Cabinet of Fossilsd or an introduction to the study of Oryctology...With frontispiece, engraving on title and 9 hand coloured plates.II. The Fossil Zoophytes, 1808. [v],-iv-xiv, 286, [6]. frontispiece, engraving on title, and 19 hand coloured plates. includes index, advertisements, instruction for binder,... descriptions of frontispiece, errata..III. Vegetable and animals of the ANTEDILUVIANWORLD generally termed extraneous fossils. [ix]-x-xv,[i-errata], 455, 477-78 Memoirs of Cuvier, 479 Lamarck's memoirs on fossils of Paris, plus [6] pages index, frontispiece, engraving on title, 22 plates with leaf of descriptions. First edition of one of the earliest systematic works on fossils. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, there was very little definitive teaching of geology in Britain. In London the best collection of fossils and minerals was to be found at the Royal Institution, under the charge of Humphry Davy. "The epistolary style (of Parkinson's work) was selected as the most easy of comprehension and the most likely to stimulate popular interest in fossils" (Zittel). Many fossil species are introduced in these pages for the first time, including plant, zoophyte, amphibia and mammals.The first volume provides a short history of paleontology, an account of the various views about fossils and a discussion of the surface forms and physical constitution of the earth. Peat, coal, and bitumen, among other matter, was described according to their properties, their mode of occurrence, state of preservation, and the changes through which they had passed. The second volume treats corals, sponges, and crinoids, and introduces the Linnean method of nomenclature. Parkinson expands on his own views in the third volume, "where he becomes more and more convinced the numerous fossil species belonged to extinct forms of life." He is convinced, for example, that the Mosaic account of creation could only be accepted in its general intent, that the "days" of the Biblical account in reality indicated very long periods of time in the development of the earth. He here provides an in-depth treatment of the research conducted by Lamarck, Cuvier, and the recently published William Smith. A significant amount of valuable data is added to scientific knowledge through these volumes.Parkinson (1755-1824) was an important physician (in 1817 he first described a shaking malady now known as Parkinson's Disease) as well as an amateur geologist. "While devoted to fossils as a whole, this work is of considerable interest to the lapidary and gemologist because the author includes much information on silcified woods, amber, and jet, with remarks on their uses in the lapidary arts" (see Sinkankas).more

Two small octavo volumes bound in contemporary green calf with burgundy title labels with gilt arabesques on spines; double gilt rules to boards; marbled edges and endpapers. There is a little surface rubbing and some spotting to the plates and the impressive large folding map has a closed tear where attached to the first volume. xii, 316; viii, 272pp., complete with 7 plates and maps - 2 being chromolithographs by Day & Haghe; the large folding map is hand-coloured. The front paste-downs bear... the bookplate of F.W. Lowcock of Falls House, Linton (Yorks). Sir Charles Lyell journeyed up the Hudson River and across New York to the Niagara Falls. From there he went through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the Alleghenies Carolinas, and into Kentucky and the Ohio before completing his journey via the Saint Lawrence River to Nova Scotia. The large geological map of the United States and Canada was (and remains) an important early study and its colour key identifies 20 different geological units. The map extends to about the 110th meridian to include the Republic of Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and the North West Territory.more

Small 8vo, (6) + 304pp. + (1)pp. advertisement for the author's other works. With attractive decorated initials, head- and tail-pieces throughout the text. Bound in contemporary full brown leather with five raised bands, gilt stamped title-label to spine. The book is complete but is in fair condition only. Both boards are detached. Foxing and varying degrees of dampstaining throughout. Some portions of the text are in better condition than others but overall this is a reading copy only. Still, a rare and important contribution to scientific geology. Sold as is.

London, John Murray, 1824.. SECOND EDITION 1824. 4to, approximately 265 x 210 mm, 10½ x 8 inches, 1 folding table, 27 engraved plates and maps at rear, 3 in colour, 1 folding, 2 small text illustrations, pages: vii, (Errata on verso of page vii), 1-303 including index, bound in full modern crimson morocco, gilt lettering to spine, new cream endpapers. Slight scuffing to spine, leaving a dark patch (see attached image), small neat repair to lower outer corner of title page, slight browning to edges... of title page, text clean apart from page 258 and the following pages which suffer from pale brown offsetting to pages of text from illustrations, slight browning to the top edges of plates, ink name to top of title page, otherwise a good tight copy. William Buckland is remembered as the first man to identify and name a dinosaur (although the name dinosaur had not yet been coined by Richard Owen). This was the megalosaur. Partly in response to the controversial works of Cuvier, Buckland wrote Reliquiae Diluvianae (1823) in which he argued that the evidence of geology alone demonstrated that a great flood had covered the entire globe. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.more