Borlase, William; The Natural History of Cornwall. The Air, Climate, Waters, Rivers, Lakes, Sea and Tides; Of the Stones, Semimetals, Metals, Tin, and the Manner of Mining; The Constitution of the Stannaries; | Iron, Copper, Silver, Lead, and Gold, found in Cornwall….. Illustrated with a new Sheet Map of the County, and Twenty-Eight Folio Copper-Plates from Original Drawings taken on the Spot. Oxford, Printed for the Author; by W. Jackson: Sold by W. Sandby, at the Ship in the Fleet-Street London; and the Booksellers of Oxford. MDCCLVIII. (1758). Folio, pp. xix, 326, 28 fine engraved plates, one fine engraved folded map.
The work is complete and in the original calf with the spine repacked re-backed in the 20th century. The binding is tight and clean with some scuffing to the original boards, gilt spine titles and panels very clean and bright. The text and all plates and map are clean and bright with only light browning to the endpapers. An exceptionally nice copy.
William Borlase (1695-1772) a English naturalist who was born in Cornwall where he spent most of his life. He had an intimate knowledge of the mining industry and natural history of the region.
Within his work on Cornwall, Borland provides a description of the mineralogy of the region, the topography and geography, the various types of rocks and soils, and the minerals including quartz, jaspers, ornamental stones, spars, semi-metals, bismuth, antimony, manganese, loadstone, cobalt, and the mineral deposits and veins, especially tin and copper. The plates show various scenic views, crystals, mines, mining apparatus, figured stones, shells, corals etc. The map shows the region of Cornwall.
