A Geological Map of the Caucasus. Compiled from the Latest Sources

OSWALD, Felix. A Geological Map of the Caucasus. Compiled from the Latest Sources. London: Dulau & Co., Ltd., 1914. Large colour-printed geological map on two joined sheets, scale 1:1,000,000, approximately 50.5 × 132.2 cm, accompanied by the original sixteen-page Explanatory Notes to Accompany the Geological Map of the Caucasus. An exceptional author’s presentation copy, inscribed “With kind regards from Felix Oswald / Russia”, subsequently preserved in the scientific collections of the British Museum (Natural History), with Palaeontological Library / Map Room and later withdrawal markings. The Library of Congress describes Oswald’s work as essentially the first accurate and comprehensive geological map of the Caucasus, revealing the Alpine and Hercynian structure and varied lithology of the region. Oswald was already a recognised authority on Armenian and Caucasian geology and had received the Geological Society of London’s Murchison Fund in 1907. The map extends from the Sea of Azov and Black Sea to the Caspian and employs extensive colour printing to distinguish Quaternary, Tertiary, Cretaceous, Jurassic and older formations together with crystalline rocks, gneiss, glaciers and numerous igneous formations. Its scientific significance was immediately recognised: both Nature and the Geological Magazine reviewed the publication in 1914, Nature specifically noting that it embodied a considerable amount of Oswald’s own personal study. Published by Dulau & Co. at the substantial contemporary price of 15 shillings net, including the explanatory notes, it was clearly conceived as a serious specialist scientific publication rather than a popular map. The original explanatory pamphlet is an integral bibliographical component of the issue and is separately recorded with the map by the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Institutional examples survive at the Library of Congress and Bibliothèque nationale de France, but this copy is distinguished by the combination of authorial presentation, original explanatory text and highly appropriate British Museum natural-history provenance. Original folds, light handling and minor marginal marks; colouring remains strong and attractive. A rare and important association copy of a landmark in the geological cartography of the Caucasus.…