Palache, Charles; The Minerals of Franklin and Sterling Hill, Sussex County, New Jersey. United States Geological Survey, Prof. Paper 180, 1st edition, 1st printing, 1935. Quarto, pp. vi, 135, 19 b/w plates, 199 figures, folding table at page 20.
This is the first edition printing of Prof. Paper 180. A second printing appeared in 1937. The work is complete and in the original tan title wraps. The binding is tight, free of stains, the cover titles are bright and clean, the spine titles are very lightly soiled but clear. The text and all plates are clean and bright, free of any staining. The original owner’s small stamp is on the upper edge of the cover. (P. E. Oronson, U. S. B. M. mining geologist in the Idaho office). In near fine condition.
Palache (1869-1954) was an American mineralogist and crystallographer. He is recognized as one of the most important mineralogists in the United States. Palache received his undergraduate degree in mining at the University of California, Berkeley in 1891 and a Doctorate in 1894. He then went to Europe to study in Germany under a number of famous mineralogists and crystallographers. In 1896 Palache became assistant to John E. Wolff at Harvard University and then became an instructor in mineralogy an assistant professor in 1902 and professor in 1910. In 1922, Palache took over the Harvard Mineralogical Laboratory, and Harvard Mineralogical Museum. In 1919 Palache helped to organize the Mineralogical Society of America and became the society’s president in 1921. In 1936 he was elected to the presidency of the Geological Society of America.
Of Palache’s many writings; The Minerals of Franklin and Stirling Hill was the most famous. His 1935 paper was a study of the minerals of the Franklin area of New Jersey and their study. Those studies spanned more than a century, and was the most comprehensive review up to that time. Palache gathered data from a score of journals beginning with Bruce’s 1810 papers. He compiled and combined the date to prepare a consistent and detailed description of the many minerals found at Franklin and Sterling Hill. Of major value to the historian is an extensive bibliography of the literature.
