Strata

William Smith's Geological Maps

Robert Macfarlane, Oxford University Museum of Natural History

$100

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Thames & Hudson
01 November 2020

Historical maps & atlases; Mathematics & Sciences

This sumptuous and comprehensive evaluation showcases Smith's 1815 hand-coloured map, A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales, with part of Scotland, and illustrates the story of his career, from apprentice to fossil collector and from his 1799 geological map of Bath and table of strata to his detailed stratigraphical county maps.

The introduction places Smith's work in the context of earlier, concurrent and subsequent ideas regarding the structure and natural processes of the earth. The book is then organized into four geographical sections, each beginning with four sheets from the 1815 strata map, accompanied by related geological cross sections and county maps (1819-24), and is followed by displays of Sowerby's fossil illustrations (1816-19) organized by strata. Interleaved between the sections are essays by leading academics that explore the aims of Smith's work, its application in the fields of mining, agriculture, cartography, fossil collecting and hydrology, and its influence on biostratigraphical theories and the science of geology. Concluding the volume are reflections on Smith's later work as an itinerant geologist and surveyor, plagiarism by his rival - President of the Geological Society, George Bellas Greenough - receipt of the first Wollaston Medal in 1831 in recognition of his achievements, and the influence of his geological mapping and biostratigraphical theories on the sciences, culminating in the establishment of the modern geological timescale.

Foreword by: Robert Macfarlane
Edited by: Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Imprint: Thames & Hudson
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 365mm, Width: 265mm,
Weight: 2.100kg
ISBN: 9780500252475
ISBN 10: 0500252475
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01 November 2020
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Oxford University Museum of Natural History Museum holds an unrivalled William Smith collection, including not only his 1815 map and unpublished county maps but also his vast archive of diaries, letters, published works, charts and plans.

Reviews for Strata: William Smith's Geological Maps

'Some books are beautiful, others are enlightening. STRATA is both ... It’s the best non-fiction book I’ve read in a long time' - Will Gompertz 'Will no doubt remain as a standard reference work for map collectors, map dealers, librarians and historians of science for many years to come, and will likely become a collector’s item in its own right' - International Map Collector’s Society