£450
FIRST EDITION, 8vo, pp. xxxi, [i], 655, [1]. 19th-century half calf by R. Nelson, marbled boards, spine divided by raised bands, red morocco label, marbled edges. A touch of spotting. Somewhat rubbed, particularly to spine, some wear to extremities. Binder’s stamp of R. Nelson to pastedown.
The first edition of MacCulloch's pioneering study of geology, the material for which was gathered during the author's work as geologist to the Ordnance Survey, in which capacity he studied hundreds of Scottish mountains over a seven-year period. It formed the basis for his lectures at East India College for a decade, another episode in a life that encompassed being physician to Prince Leopold of Belgium, chemist for the Royal Artillery, president of the Geological Society and fellow of the Royal Society, before marrying in his sixties and suffering a fatal carriage accident on his honeymoon.
