MURCHISON, Roderick Impey. The Silurian System, London: John Murray, 1839, 2 parts in one volume plus map, 4°, FIRST EDITION, 45 plates, 2 folding and 3 hand-coloured, 2 maps and 9 folding hand-coloured geological sections (some heavy spotting to plates), contemporary calf gilt (extremities lightly rubbed), gilt inner dentelles. With the hand-coloured engraved 3-sheet geological map, backed on linen, in a contemporary straight-grained green morocco slipcase (library stamps). [BMNH IIII. 130; Dibner Heralds 97; Norman 1569] (2)

细节

MURCHISON, Roderick Impey. The Silurian System, London: John Murray, 1839, 2 parts in one volume plus map, 4°, FIRST EDITION, 45 plates, 2 folding and 3 hand-coloured, 2 maps and 9 folding hand-coloured geological sections (some heavy spotting to plates), contemporary calf gilt (extremities lightly rubbed), gilt inner dentelles. With the hand-coloured engraved 3-sheet geological map, backed on linen, in a contemporary straight-grained green morocco slipcase (library stamps). [BMNH IIII. 130; Dibner Heralds 97; Norman 1569] (2)

拍品专文

As Norman states, Murchison's geological research in the Welsh borderland and South Wales brought to an end the confusion hitherto surrounding the so-called "Transition" rocks. "Murchison was the first to establish a uniform sequence of Transition strata, to which he gave the name 'Silurian' after a British tribe; these strata constituted a major system with uniform fossil remains, displaying an abundance of invertebrates and a complete lack of the remains of vertebrates or land plants." The implications for the evolutionary history of the earth were enormous. Illustrated on previous page.