first edition Hardcover
1684 · London
by Burnet, Thomas
London: Printed by R. Norton, for Walter Kettilby, at the Bishops-Head in S. Paul's Church-Yard, 1684. Book. Very good condition. Hardcover. First Edition. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. All four books, with supplementary "Review", rarely offered as a complete text. First editions, published 1684-1690. 1) THEORY OF THE EARTH published 1684: [xvi], 224 pages of text; engraved title, two double-page engraved maps, text engravings. Contains Books I & II. 2) Bound with: THEORY OF THE EARTH published 1690: [xiv], 224 pages; engraved title page and in-text engravings. Contains Books III & IV. 3) Bound with: A REVIEW OF THE THEORY OF THE EARTH, And of its Proofs: Especially In Reference To Scripture published 1690: [ii], 52 pages, followed by [i] page of publisher's advertisement. Books I, II, III, IV and the REVIEW all have their own title page. Original paneled calf boards, rebacked in full leather with corners strengthened. The boards are somewhat worn. The gutter (inner margin) of the text has numerous small worm holes, which do not enter the text. The first engraved title page is creased and it and the title page are slightly soiled. The map of The Americas depicts California as an island. Lowndes "[This work] will ever continue to charm the reader by the eloquence of its style, and the grandeur of its imagery". Wing B5950. First edition in English, with the first edition in Latin issued in 1681 under the title "Telluris Theoria"..
(Inventory #: 019728)