ORGANIC REMAINS OF A FORMER WORLD. An Examination of the Mineralized Remains of the Vegetables and Animals of the Antediluvian World; Generally Termed Extraneous Fossils.

PARKINSON, James:

Edité par London: Sherwood, Neely, and Jones; Nornaville and Fell., 1820

A propos de cet article

First editions of volumes two and three, third printing of volume one. Three volumes. Quarto. Contemporary full dark-green morocco, the boards decorated in blind and ruled in gilt; the spines with five raised bands, compartments ruled in gilt and decorated in blind, titles in gilt, and with gilt heraldic crest to the foot. Gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Illustrated with 54 engraved plates (the great majority being hand-coloured), including a frontispiece to each volume, plus an engraved vignette to each title page. A very good set, neatly re-backed with the original spines re-laid. The bindings are firm with a 4cm split to the head of the lower joint of volume two, a little splitting to the head and foot of the joints of volume three (although all remaining very secure), a few scuffs to the boards, and wear to the corners. The contents with neat paper repairs to the hinges where re-backed, a little offsetting from the plates, some occasional light foxing, and volume three with a neatly repaired 7.5cm tear to the head of the first contents page, neatly rebuilt corners to pp.xi-xii (not affecting the text), and several small neatly repaired tears to pp.xiii-xvi (two touching the text but without any loss), are otherwise in very good order. An attractive set of this early, pioneering work on the study of fossils by the surgeon, apothecary, geologist, palaeontologist and radical political activist, James Parkinson (1755-1824). Parkinson is now perhaps best known as the first person to describe "paralysis agitans", a condition that would later be renamed Parkinson's disease, in his 'Essay on the Shaking Palsy' (1817). Beyond his medical practice, however, he also had a keen interest in the relatively new fields of geology and palaeontology, taking his children and friends on excursions to collect and observe fossil plants and animals around Britain. His attempts to learn more about fossil identification and interpretation were, however, frustrated by a lack of available literature in English, and so he took the decision to improve matters by writing his own introduction to the study of fossils. The present work - one of the earliest systematic works on fossils - was the result. In it, many fossil species are introduced for the first time, including plants, zoophytes, amphibia and mammals. The first volume deals with the plant kingdom and describes coal, lignite and peat as well as petrified wood, ferns, stems, leaves, and fruits, as well as providing a short history of palaeontology, an account of the various views regarding fossils, and a discussion of the surface forms and physical constitution of the earth. The second volume discusses corals, sponges, and crinoids, and introduces the Linnean method of nomenclature. Whilst the third volume describes a variety of higher fossil animals including echinoderms, molluscs, trilobites, arthropods, fishes, reptiles and mammals. In this volume, Parkinson also expands upon his own views, arguing with increasing certainty that the numerous fossil species belonged to extinct forms of life, and that the Biblical account of creation could only be accepted in its general intent, asserting that the "days" of the Biblical account in reality indicated very long periods of time in the development of the earth. Here, he also provides an in-depth treatment of the research conducted by Lamarck, Cuvier, and the recently published William Smith. Upon its publication, the prominent geologist and palaeontologist Gideon Mantell (1790-1852) praised the work as "the first attempt to give a familiar and scientific account of fossils", and later reused its plates in his own work. These plates were based on Parkinson's own drawings, with his daughter Emma providing the colouring for some of them. The first volume of 'Organic Remains' was first printed in 1804, in an edition of 500 copies. Subsequent printings of the volume followed in 1811 and 1820, to enable the sale of complete sets with th.

N° de réf. du vendeur 1369

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: ORGANIC REMAINS OF A FORMER WORLD. An Examination of the Mineralized Remains of the Vegetables and Animals of the Antediluvian World; Generally Termed Extraneous Fossils.
• Éditeur: London: Sherwood, Neely, and Jones; Nornaville and Fell.
• Date de parution: 1820
• Reliure: Couverture rigide