| Description | 'A delineation of the strata of England and Wales, with part of Scotland; exhibiting the collieries and mines, the marshes and fen lands originally overflowed by the sea, and the varieties of soil according to the variations in the substrata, illustrated by the most descriptive names', by William Smith, published by John Cary, 1815. |
| CustodialHistory | This particular map 'disappeared', although it was unclear exactly when, as it was not included in the Library catalogue which was revised in the 1980s. The map was found, wrapped in conservation tissue, in the Archives store in amongst the Society's Centenary addresses on 19 February 2014.
The title sheet does not belong to this particular edition, as it was used to replace a damaged sheet of another copy which is mounted on the wall. In the 1930s two further Smith maps were bought to replace the wall mounted, faded copy. An unmounted copy was bought in November 1931 and a bound copy in January 1932, both purchased from Thomas Sheppard for 12 guineas each. Arthur Greig, in a letter to Sheppard dated 22 Feb 1932, stated that the title page of the unmounted one was very dirty so in order for it to be displayed, the plate was to be taken from a copy in the Library. |
| Publication Note | Sheppard, T. "William Smith, his maps and memoirs", 'Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society', vol 19, (1920); Eyles, V A & J M Eyles, "On the Different Issues of the First Geological Map of England and Wales", 'Annals of Science', vol 3 (1938), pp190-212; Eyles, J M. "William Smith, a bibliography...", 'Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History', vol 5 (1969), pp87-109. |