The Geological Society Library would like to thank the Fellows, Friends, Corporate Patrons and others whose generous donations have helped conserve some of our most important volumes from our collections. If you’d like to help, please see our main Sponsor our Collections page.
The Reports of Mr William Smith, and Mr Edward Martin, to the Bristol and Taunton Canal Company, on the State of the Collieries at and near Nailsea, in Somersetshire (1811)
This extremely rare report by William Smith (1769-1839) derives from the period before the publication of his seminal 1815 map when he was an itinerant surveyor for hire.
The report was commissioned by the Bristol and Taunton Canal Company, who wanted to know whether there was a sufficient supply of workable coal in the area around Nailsea to justify the construction of a new canal to transport it all the way to Bristol.
According to the report, Smith was of the opinion that there was. Only the Bridgewater-Taunton part of the canal was constructed, opening in 1827.
Condition before conservation: The paper quality was good but it had been folded and unprotected for many years resulting it being covered in dirt, with crumpled and battered edges.
Kindly sponsored by Mike Oehlers, 2025.
Basil Hall, ‘Account of a voyage of discovery to the west coast of Corea and the Great Loo-Choo Island…’(1818).
Written by the naval officer Basil Hall (1788-1844), this volume recounts the commission (onboard his ship Lyra,) to accompany what would be the unsuccessful attempt by Lord Amherst to open an embassy in China in 1816. The book details Hall’s travels to the west coast of Korea and Okinawa (then called Great Loo-Choo Island), describing the customs, people and language along with brief references to the geology.
Condition before conservation: Whilst the inside of the book was in very good condition, as is typical of this type of binding the leather dried out and weakened with age resulting in the front and back boards becoming detached.
Kindly sponsored by Alan Lord, 2025.
The first official geologists of the US and Canada, 1835-1849.
This volume contains the atlases from three publications from early US and Canadian surveys: Edward Hitchcock’s Report on the geology, mineralogy, botany, and zoology of Massachusetts, 2nd ed, (1835); Charles T Jackson’s First report on the geology of the State of Maine (1837); and William E Logan’s plans of the Bruce Mines which accompanied the Canadian Geological Survey’s Report on the north shore of Lake Huron (1849).
Condition before conservation: The binding of the volume, probably dating from the 1850-1860s, had disintegrated. The leather along the spine had weakened and split, leaving the front and back boards detached and the pages coming loose. With little protection the paper became dirty and brittle along the edges. The fold-out maps, particularly Logan’s plans, were getting torn.
Kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor, 2025.
Other titles which have been saved
William Smith's County maps of Cumberland, Westmoreland and Northumberland (1824) - uncoloured copies. [Archive ref: LDGSL/749]
Sponsored by Mike Oehlers (2025)
Richard Thomas’ ‘Geological map of the mining district between Camborne and Chasewater shewing the lodes, cross courses, adits &c’ (1819). [Archive ref: LDGSL/947/6/D/11/10]
Sponsored by Mike Oehlers (2025)
Charles Green's 'A few remarks on the geology of Bacton' (1842).
Conservation supported by Sue Turner (2025)
George Bellas Greenough's 'Geological Map of England & Wales' base map for SDUK (1834). [Archive ref: LDGSL/704]
Sponsored by Duncan Hawley (2025)
Richard Griffith's 'Outline of the Geology of Ireland' (1838).
Sponsored by the History of Geology Group (2023)
'Oeuvres de Bernard Palissy, revues sur les exemplaires de la bibliotheque du Roi' (1777)]
Sponsored by Dr. Michael Price and Dr. Michael Simms (2009)
James Nicol's 'Guide to the geology of Scotland; containing an account of the character, distribution, and more interesting appearances of its rocks and minerals' (1844)
Sponsored by the Donations Committee of Maersk Oil North Sea UK Ltd (2010)
Rene Just Hauy's 'Traité des caractères physiques des pierres précieuses, pour servir à leur détermination lorsqu’elles ont été taillées' (1817)
Sponsored by Professor Paul Henderson (2013)
Roderick Murchison’s ‘Siluria’ (1855) and two editions of Edward Hull’s 'Coal-fields of Great Britain' (1873 and 1881)
Sponsored by Dr Christopher Howells (2011)
W T Blanford’s 'Observations on the geology and zoology of Abyssinia, made during the progress of the British expedition to that country in 1867-68' (1870)
Sponsored by Dr Christopher Toland (2011)
Charles Lyell's 'The geological evidences of the antiquity of man: with remarks on theories of the origin of species by variation'
Sponsored by Mr Francis Lees (2012)
Charles Bunbury's 'Journal of a residence at the Cape of Good Hope' (1848) & Pierre Lacoste's 'Lettres minéralogiques et géologiques sur les volcans de l'Auvergne' (1805)
Sponsored by Professor Richard Howarth (2009) and Mr John Henry (2009)
Georges Cuvier's 'Recherches sur les ossements fossiles de quadrupèdes' (1812)
Sponsored by Mr Anthony Brook, Mr Phil Clarke, Mr Warren Jones and Dr Richard Symonds (2009)
James Silk Buckingham's 'Travels among the Arab tribes inhabiting the countries east of Syria and Palestine' (1825)
Sponsored by Dr John Davey (2011)
Richard Owen's 'A history of British Fossil Reptiles' (1884)
Sponsored by the De Laszlo Foundation (2013)
'Geological atlas of China' (2002)
Sponsored by Mr Oscar Miron Valdespino (2011)
'El volcan de Paricutin' (1947)
Sponsored on behalf of Mr Martin King (2011)
Journal of the Geological Society (1884)
Sponsored by Mrs Margaret Dobson (2011)
'Recent sediments of the gulf of Paria' (1954)
Sponsored by Professor Alan Lord (July 2009)
Sir John Herschel's 'A treatise on astronomy' (1833)
Sponsored by Dr Sue Shawcross (2013)
William Topley's 'Geology of the Weald' (1875)
Sponsored by the John Daniels Fund of the London Branch of the Open University Geological Society (2014)
Arthur Smith Woodward's 'Catalogue of the fossil fishes in the British Museum (Natural History) Part IV: containing the Actinopterygian Teleostomi' (1901)
Anonymous sponsor (2014)
Robert Bakewell's 'An introduction to geology' [Bakewell’s Geology] (1833)
Anonymous sponsor (2014)
Gideon Mantell's 'A pictorial atlas of fossil remains…' (1850)
Anonymous sponsor (2014)
Searles Valentine Wood Jnr 'A memoir in explanation of the structure of the glacial and post glacial beds....' (1867) [Archive ref: LDGSL/713/1]. Rare surviving, illustrated manuscript of Wood's paper which was published only in abbreviated form.
Sponsored by Dr Peter Riches (2015)
Letters and papers on scientific subjects submitted to the Society, 1808-1817 [Archive ref: LDGSL/1]. The earliest surviving volume of letters and papers sent to the Society to be read at the scientific meetings.
Sponsored by Professor Alan Lord, Stephen Palmer and Dr Susan Turner (2010).