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First published in 1880, this study of the biology and geography of islands investigates some of the most pressing questions of nineteenth-century natural science. Why do countries as far-flung as Britain and Japan share similar flora and fauna when those of neighbouring islands in Malaysia are utterly unalike? What is the origin of life in New Zealand? And why do the geological formations of Scotland and Wales appear to be the result of glaciers when those countries lie in the temperate zone? Dismissing popular theories of submerged continents and 'special creation', Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) presents extensive evidence of the mass migration of species, and of drastic and repeated climatic changes across the globe. Drawing on a vast range of sources and the newest ocean soundings to support his theories, Wallace wrote the text for the intelligent general reader. It remains a fascinating introduction to the subject matter today.

Gideon Mantell (1790-1852) was an English physician and geologist best known for pioneering the scientific study of dinosaurs. This volume, first published in 1822, contains Mantell's early research and descriptions of the fossil remains of southern England, and was the first published work to describe a collection of dinosaur remains.

Mary Somerville (1780-1872) was a leading mathematician and astronomer at a time when the education of most women was restricted. Physical Geography (1848) was a synthesis of the natural sciences, drawing on the most recent discoveries to present an overview of current understanding of the natural world.

Sir Charles Lyell (1797-1875) was one of the most renowned geologists of the nineteenth century. These volumes, first published in 1845, are the result of his 1841 tour across the United States and Canada, and contain detailed descriptions of North American geology. Volume 1 contains his travels from Boston across North Carolina

A. C. Seward (1863-1941) was an eminent English botanist and geologist. In these volumes, published between 1898 and 1919, Seward synthesised and revised the existing research on palaeobotany and included new material. Volume 1 contains an overview of palaeobotany with systematic descriptions of fossil plants.

This selection from the correspondence of Leonard Horner (1785-1864), a prominent geologist, educator and factory inspector, was published by his daughter in 1890. It provides a vivid picture of this eminent reformer. Volume 1 covers Horner's life to 1838 including his election to the Royal Society.

Robert Jameson (1774-1854) was professor of natural history at Edinburgh for fifty years. A follower of Werner's influential theory of the formation of the Earth, he later accepted the idea that the Earth was formed by natural processes over geological time. His System of Mineralogy was first published in 1808.

Sir Charles Lyell (1797-1875) was one of the most renowned geologists of the nineteenth century. This biography, first published in 1881 provides an intimate view of Lyell's personal and professional life through the inclusion of his letters and extracts from his journal. Volume 1 covers Lyell's life until 1836.

An 1896 life, by his collaborator Jules Marcou, of Swiss-born palaeontologist, glaciologist and zoologist Louis Agassiz (1807-1873). Volume 1 traces his childhood, early scientific and professional success, ending with his arrival in America and his first attempts at forging a university career there.

First published in Germany in 1855 by the mineralogist Georg Landgrebe (1802-1872), this two-volume work presented the natural history of volcanoes for educated general readers. It reflects the lively scientific debates of its day as it describes the world's volcanoes, their activity, and rocks and minerals occurring around them.

Sir William Jackson Hooker, the eminent British botanist, is perhaps best known as a visionary director of Kew Gardens. His account of his first overseas expedition, made to Iceland in 1809, was written from memory after his notes and specimens were destroyed by fire on the return voyage.

Published between 1850 and 1886, this six-volume reference became the definitive reference on the brachiopods. It includes an essay by Richard Owen on the terebratulids, and separate guides to brachiopod shell structure and classification. The set also features more than two hundred hand-drawn plates and an extensive bibliography.

In the 1790s Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), one of the founding figures of vertebrate palaeontology, proved that extinction was a scientific fact. This four-volume illustrated work, originally published in 1812, is a collection of Cuvier's geological and osteological papers, focusing on fossil mammals and reptiles and related living species.

This 1894 publication details the extraordinary life of distinguished geologist and Dean of Westminster, William Buckland. Compiled by his daughter almost four decades after Buckland's death, this biography presents an unusually personal account of the famed geologist's esteemed career and is supplemented with several photographs and illustrations.

First published in 1873, this is a catalogue of the extensive collection of Cambrian and Silurian fossils in the Geological Museum at the University of Cambridge at that time. It includes a substantial preface by Adam Sedgwick, which provides fascinating insights into the geological advances of the Victorian era.

First published in 1853, this is a comprehensive guide to the British Lake District. Featuring contributions from William Wordsworth and the geologist Adam Sedgwick, it is a key text for those interested in the history of tourism in the Lake District and its development in the Victorian period.

In 1830-33, Charles Lyell laid the foundations of evolutionary biology with Principles of Geology, a pioneering book that Charles Darwin took with him on the Beagle. The three volumes are generously illustrated and thoroughly indexed and remain of interest to geologists and historians of science alike.

Gideon Mantell (1790-1852) was an English physician and geologist best remembered for pioneering the scientific study of dinosaurs. These volumes, first published in 1838 and considered Mantell's most popular work, contain a lecture series which describe principles of geology and fossil formation. Volume 1 contains lectures 1 to 4.

William Smith (1768-1839) was a civil engineer and canal surveyor who pioneered the concept of stratigraphy. This volume, first published in 1817, contains Smith's catalogue of his fossil collection for the British Museum. Smith catalogues the fossils according to rock strata, providing a practical demonstration of his stratigraphic system.

George Poulett Scrope (1797-1876) was a pioneering British geologist whose interest in volcanos was inspired by trips to Vesuvius while he was an undergraduate. This influential book on the igneous rocks of the Massif Central was originally published in 1827 and revised for the 1858 edition reissued here.

In his influential Geological Manual, published in an expanded third edition in 1833, the prominent geologist Henry De la Beche (1796-1855) covers many areas within the field, including rocks, rivers, glaciers and fossils in France and England, demonstrating the range of geological knowledge in the early nineteenth century.

This comprehensive bibliography of publications relating to Mount Vesuvius first appeared in 1897. As well as scientific works it covers poetry and fiction, maps and illustrations. It also includes an appendix listing both modern writers and ancient and medieval accounts, arranged chronologically and by topic.

John Murray (1778-1820) was a public lecturer and prolific writer on chemistry and geology. This popular volume, first published anonymously in 1802, contains Murray's critical response to John Playfair's Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth. Murray's discussion illustrates the variety of contemporary geological theories.

Published in 1819, Aubuisson de Voisins' two-volume Traite de Geognosie was one of the earliest geology books in French. It convincingly challenged the 'Neptunist' theory of his influential teacher Gottlob Werner, arguing that the basaltic rocks and mineral veins of the earth's crust were of igneous, not marine, origin.

The geologist Joseph Beete Jukes (1811-1869) participated in a British surveying expedition to Australia and New Guinea in the early 1840s, and published two books about his experiences (both reissued in this series). This study appeared in 1850, and made a pioneering contribution to European scientific knowledge about Australia.

Each section of this work, published in 1849 by the Admiralty to encourage a spirit of scientific enquiry among naval officers, was written by experts, including Darwin, Hooker and Whewell, and edited by Sir John Herschel. It suggests areas of research, and gives advice on making and recording observations.

Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (1792-1871) was an influential Scottish geologist best known for his classification of the Silurian system of rock strata. These volumes, first published in 1875, contain a detailed biography, providing a fascinating insight into his life and work. Volume 1 describes his life until 1842.

The Life and Letters of Hugh Miller (1871) tells the fascinating story of a Victorian geologist whose life was marked by a passionate commitment to both science and religion and the ongoing attempt to reconcile the two. Volume 1 covers Miller's early life, family, education and apprenticeship as a stonemason.

The second edition of Geology of India (1892), compiled by Oldham for the Geological Survey of India, is a revision of the first edition by Medlicott and Blanford (1879). It is a key work of nineteenth-century geology, containing some of the earliest and most important geological descriptions of India.

This 1840 study of the Island of Arran led to the author's successful career with the Geological Survey. Designed as a practical visitor's guide for both amateur and professional geologists, it is organised by district, and Ramsay provides full explanations, diagrams and engravings to make his work accessible to non-specialists.