Philadelphia, PA, Lippincott, Grambo & Co., 1852. Two parts in two. 4to (31.1 x 23.0 cm). Engraved frontispiece and title page, 639 pp. (first xxxviii in Roman numbers), numerous fine steel-engravings (text volume); title page, 27 (I-XV, IA-D, IIA-B, IIIA, VA-B, VIIIA, XIIA-B) fine lithographed plates with explanatory text leaves, and 21 mostly folding (all but two) and (partly) hand-coloured (all but two) geological maps, views, and profiles (atlas volume). Original near uniform blind-tooled cloth. Text volume spine with gilt title, plate volume with gilt title on the front board.

This work contains fine, large, multi-folded hand-coloured maps and profiles; and - on 15 lithographed plates - fine illustrations of Palaeozoic brachiopods, and trilobites; Mesozoic ammonites and other molluscs; and Palaeogene turtles and mammals. The giant coloured map of the tree states (often lacking) has a printed surface of 121 x 66 cm. Dedication copy, with on both front flyleaf rectos the hand-written and signed dedication by Jared Perkins. Perkins (1793-1853) was a United States Representative from New Hampshire. "He served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1850. He was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-second Congress (March 4, 1851-March 3, 1853) but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1852 to the Thirty-third Congress. After leaving Congress, he was nominated for Governor of New Hampshire in 1854 but died before the election" (Wikipedia). Apparently it is a little known fact among antiquarian book dealers that this work exists in three editions: a large paper edition with a page-size of 33 x 25 cm; the "normal" edition, like this set (31.1 x 23.0 cm), and a single-volume edition. Spines and boards bit sunned, as often, otherwise a good, complete set. Cat. BM(NH) p. 1488; Sabin, 58009; Ward and Carozzi, 1699.