Author: PRESTWICH, Joseph.
Title: Geology. Chemical, physical, and stratigraphical.
Description: Oxford, Clarendon Press 1886-88. Two volumes largish octavo half gilt morocco; 5 folding colour maps, 3 folding sections, 16 litho plates of fossils, numerous illustrations through the text. Ex parliamentary library with their gilt crest on the front board and incorporated into the spine, no other markings; scattered spotting but a rather good, handsome pair. ¶ Prestwich had 'grave objections' to the theory of uniformity advocated by Lyell which, despite rearguard actions for rest of the 19th century, has come to underpin geological thinking. Which is not to say that he was a catastrophist; nor that his work is without value. He does have grave objections though and the general acceptance of Uniformitarianism in England meant that no geological text book expressed the views of the exponents of more rigorous and robust physical forces in geological times.

Keywords: science geology palaeontology c19th England fossils