Lot 25: SMITH, William (1769-1839). Stratigraphical System of British Organized Fossils, with reference to the specimens of the original geological collection in the British Museum: explaining their state of preservation and their use in identifying the

SMITH, William (1769-1839). Stratigraphical System of British Organized Fossils, with reference to the specimens of the original geological collection in the British Museum: explaining their state of preservation and their use in identifying the British strata. London: E. Williams, 1817. 4° (322 x 246mm). Collation: a4 (1a1 + s1) b2 B-P4 R4 S2. 69 leaves (R4 blank). 2 hand-coloured tables, the first folding and engraved, the second double-page and letterpress. (Tables repaired and mounted on guards, very light offsetting to folding table.) Modern morocco, titled in gilt on spine, original blue printed wrappers bound in, uncut (wrappers restored and re-inforcedP). Provenance: O.C. Marsh (ink ownership inscription to verso of front wrapper).

FIRST EDITION OF SMITH'S DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FOSSILS FOUND IN DIFFERENT GEOLOGICAL STRATA IN ENGLAND. Smith had sold his own enormous fossil collection to the British Museum in 1816. A second part, announced on the contents page, was never published. In his preface Smith explains that he deemed illustrations unnecessary, since 'reference is constantly made to another work of the Author's now publishing by Mr. Sowerby, which consists chiefly of engravings' (i.e. Strata Identified, see lot 24). Smith's interest in fossils was purely practical; he regarded them as signposts for the identification of geological strata. Not only did his limited knowledge of biology cause him occasional errors of identification, but, more surprisingly from the modern viewpoint, he failed to realize that he had provided a relative dating system for different strata. Nevertheless, both the present work and lot 24, together with his geological map, helped pave the way for the development of modern geology. As the DNB states, 'his position as the real founder of stratigraphical geology has never been questioned'. Othniel Charles Marsh (1831-1899), the pioneering palaeontologist, famous for being one of America's earliest supporters of Darwin and his epic feud with arch rival palaeontologist, Edward Drinker Cope, identified and described 80 new forms of dinosaurs and thirty-four new genera. EXTREMELY RARE; Copac gives copies at Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, Bristol, BL, and King's College London. OCLC adds Essex and the British Geological Survey in the UK and Eyles adds the Geological Society. ABPC records only three copies sold at auction since 1976: one was the Norman copy (bound with Strata identified, Christie's New York, Oct 29, 1998, lot 1300, $50,000, later in Maggs cat. 1307 163); the other two were both sold at Bonhams in 2002 and 2006, both defective lacking a table. Previous to this the last copy of Stratigraphical system came up for auction at Christie's in 1962. Challinor 86; Eyles 20; Norman 1960; Ward & Carozzi 2075.

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