Presented by Adam Douglas, Senior Rare Book Specialist at Peter Harrington. First edition.
This was the second of three “major geological works resulting from the voyage of the Beagle, and contains detailed geological descriptions of locations visited by Darwin… it provides valuable insights into one of the most important scientific voyages ever made” (Cambridge edition 2011). These three works were issued as separate volumes over five years Coral Reefs (1842), Volcanic Islands (1844), and South America (1846) however Darwin’s intention was always to treat the geology of the Beagle in a single volume, so in 1851 the three parts were issued together, made up from unsold sheets and with a new title page. Freeman states that Volcanic Islands was published in November 1844; he notes the presence of “inserted advertisements Jan. 1844 in some copies” but not dated January 1845, as here. Although well represented institutionally, Volcanic Islands is in commerce decidedly uncommon, particularly in the original cloth.
View this item on our website: http://www.peterharrington.co.uk/geological-observations-on-the-volcanic-islands-32319.html (Item sold)
