The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain, or Coloured Figures and Descriptions of those Remains of Testaceous Animals or Shells which Have Been Preserved at Various Times and Depths in the Earth.

FIRST EDITION, 7 vol., including the scarce Supplement volume, 648 hand coloured engraved plates, several folding, 103 pp. are supplied in contemporary manuscript with corrections and additions, paper watermarked FELLOWS 1833, corrections and annotations throughout, page numbers corrected in manuscript, half morocco over marbled boards, spines gilt, a.e.g., bookplates to pastedown, 8vo, London: printed by Benjamin Meradith, 1812-1829-[1846]

‘Still considered the supreme work of British topographical mineralogy’ (Conklin, James Sowerby, His Publications and Collections, 1995).

James Sowerby (1757-1822), was an outstanding artist and natural historian, renowned for his discoveries and prodigious output of beautiful, scientific books during the Age of Enlightenment in Great Britain. This work on invertebrate palaeontology contains detailed illustrations of Sowerby’s own fossil collection, accompanied by detailed descriptions. The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain was very popular, in part because of the handsome hand-coloured illustrations, but also due to Sowerby’s engaging writing style. This work became a classic in the field, as he named numerous new species and palaeontologists still cite his work.

Goodhall was in the service of the East India Company from 1783 until his death in 1835. From 1822 he was the tea-warehouse-keeper. According to the Gentleman’s Magazine he “made considerable manuscript collections respecting the history and topography of Britain ”. His interest in history included palaeontology, as he was a Fellow of the Geological Society and wrote his notes on watermarked Fellows 1833 paper.

Goodhall knew Sowerby, having correspondence and supplying Sowerby with fossils from his own collection to be described and illustrated in his works.

Goodall made additions to the text and handwritten index lists. The pages have been renumbered and many of the specimen titles have been crossed out and corrected. In Vol. IV, page 39 and 40 are completely handwritten.

The later Supplement has no alterations as it was published after the death of both Sowerby and Goodhall.

Exceedingly scarce with the unfinished seventh volume which expanded the number of plates from 611 to 650.

Provenance:

Edward Braxton Reynolds

[Henry Humphrey] Goodhall

[Nissen ZBI 3917; Ward & Carozzi 2093.; Conklin, James Sowerby, His Publications and Collections, 1995]