Popular Mineralogy; comprising a familiar Account of Minerals and their Uses

Description:

First edition. Scarce. Fine hand-coloured lithographic plates by the author. In the preface it states 'The plates, executed by myself in lithography, represent the first attempt that has been made to illustrate minerals by that process'. Henry Sowerby (1825-1891) was an English mining expert and draughtsman, a member of a famous family of illustrators. From 1843 to 1852 he was an assistant librarian to the Linnean Society of London, emingrating to Australia in 1854. For the last twenty years of his life he devoted himself to gold mining.

Condition

Small 8vo (161x130mm), cont. full green polished calf, rebacked, preserving original spine, gilt double-ruled border to both boards, gilt tooling to edges of boards; spine with raised bands and gilt tooling to compartments, leather title piece, slightly chipped; marbled edges and endpapers. Slightly rubbed to extremities. Contents fine and clean.