Fin de siècle

1884 · 27089 — New York N.Y.: D. Appleton and Company 1884. xv 832 4 pages of publisher's announcements; a useful index at back. With illustrations in the text as well as plates in pockets at front and back; all collated complete; also included in the pocket contents and not on the printed list is a color-coded "Table of the Geological Formations found in Virginia and West Virginia.with Explanation of Colors as used on the Virginia Sections" - there are 14 different colors used in printing the maps and sections and this 'Table' acts as a color key to all. The text posthumously gathers the reports of William Barton Rogers 1804 - 1882 American geologist and educator whose ".research findings to farming attracted the interests of the Virginia legislature prompting Rogers to lobby for the establishment in 1835 of a Virginian Geological Survey. For this he secured resources and funding by promising economic returns from properly mapping the terrain for future railroad construction locating more fertilizer sources and revealing the existence of valuable mineral deposits. The same year he left Baltimore to become the state geologist and director of the Virginian Geological Survey; he was also appointed professor of natural philosophy and geology at the University of Virginia. His efforts with the Geological Survey from 1835 until 1842 provided the data for his most important geological publicationsDespite his exhaustive efforts after 1837 the Virginia legislature responded to a drop in public revenues by cutting funding and more closely scrutinizing the survey finally terminating support for the project altogether in 1841. Rogers was unable to persuade them to continue funding beyond 1842. As a result few copies of Rogers's six annual reports were printed and a final report was never published. The reports were not even combined into a single publication until Jed Hotchkiss compiled and published them with a map in 1884. .an illustrious career during which he received many honors and awards." including founding and becoming the first president of M.I.T. Trent A. Mitchell in the ANB The map of Virginia and other plates credited to cartographer & engineer Jedidiah Hotchkiss 1828 - 1899 "Mapmaker of the Confederacy." Volume approx. 5 1/2" x 8" size; bound in the original brown cloth gilt spine titles; patterned-paper endpapers. Some edge tips wear to the cover; couple of small foxing-spots on the title; the text plates within the volume darkened stained; plates in the pockets & the map with a little darkening; few clean splits along folds and in very good condition. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good. D. Appleton and Company hardcover books