Vulcanology - FAUJAS DE SAINT FOND (B.). Recherches sur les - Lot 311

Vulcanology - FAUJAS DE SAINT FOND (B.). Recherches sur les volcans éteints du Vivarais et du Velay. Grenoble, Cuchet et Paris, Nyon, 1778. Large folio, marbled calf, ornate ribbed spine, gilt roulette on the edges (period binding). First edition illustrated with 20 plates engraved by Fessard, Lépine and Magne after Gauthier-Dagoty and Veyrenc, including 1 double & 3 fine vignettes, including 1 on the title page drawn and engraved by Savart depicting Etna in eruption. Faujas traveled throughout France and Europe, studying the surface of the globe, its constitution and the materials that make it up. His observations focused particularly on volcanic products. He began with a discourse on Burning Volcanoes, describing the eruptions of Vesuvius and Etna, then comparing their products with ancient volcanic formations. It is in this work that he develops his theory on the formation of volcanoes, a theory more ingenious than any of the previous theories on the subject. A very fine copy in an excellent edition, with some minor wear and old restorations. Expert : Madame Elvire POULAIN-MARQUIS