PLAYFAIR, Professor John (1748-1819)

[Volcanos] VIII. Account of the Structure of the Table Mountain, and other Parts of the Peninsula of the Cape [Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh]

Edinburgh and London: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co. and Cadell and Davies, 1815. Wrappers. Original article disbound from Volume VII of Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh (not a reprint, facsimile reproduction, or photocopy). Roman numerals preceding title refer to order of sequence as published in the Transactions. Demy 4to (273 x 210mm): 269-278pp, complete with three full-page plates. Recently bound by Fitterer in stiff marbled wrappers. An excellent wide-margined example, tightly bound and clean throughout. Fine. Item #BB2727

Playfair's paper is drawn from a series of letters written by Captain Basil Hall, a British naval officer and the second son of geologist James Hall, after a visit to the Cape of Good Hope and an excursion to Table Mountain in July, 1814. The letters describe the granitic intrusions within the sedimentary sandstone structures that Hall saw in the Platteklip Gorge near Table Mountain. Playfair provides a general description of Table Mountain, which (is now known) was once was part of the ocean bed off the coast of South Africa. Forces from an underground volcano sent magma rushing to the surface, lifting sand and mud from the ocean bed to form the mountain. Playfair is best known for his book Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth (1802), which summarized the work of James Hutton and his Theory of the Earth. It was through Playfair's efforts that Hutton's principle of uniformitarianism, later taken up by Charles Lyell, first reached a wide audience. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).

Price: $176.00