SPECIMENS OF BRITISH MINERALS SELECTED FROM THE CABINET OF PHILIP RASHLEIGH, of Menabilly, in the County of Cornwall.

London, printed by W. Bulmer and Co. And sold by G. Nicol, Bookseller to his Majesty, Pall-Mall, and Messrs. White, Booksellers, Fleet-Street, 1797-1802.. FIRST EDITION 1797-1802, "ONCE OWNED BY THE RASHLEIGH FAMILY, AND PRESENTED TO MRS WILIAM POOLEY FROM MRS WILLIAM RASHLEIGH, NOVEMBER 1827", plus written underneath "DONELAN DONAVAN GARGRAVE".. 4to, approximately 270 x 215, 10½ x 8½ inches, 2 volumes, complete set, each with its own separate title page, bound together in1 volume. 54 engraved aquatint plates, 49 hand coloured, 28 in Part 1 and 5 uncoloured and 21 hand-coloured in Part 2, tissue guards in Part 2 only. Pages: [4],1-56, [2]; [4],1-23, [2], title of Volume 1 repaired at upper margin, not affecting text, title of Volume 2 with the text "the second part" and "imprint date" supplied in printed text pasted in, ink inscription to title ('Uncle to Wm. Pooley of Truro'), 2 neat ink corrections to pages 15 & 53 probably in the hand of Philip Rashleigh, neat pencil notes to 19 outer margins, pencil caption to top margins of all plates, quarter morocco over green cloth, gilt lettered label and gilt decoration to spine, new endpapers. The repair to top of title page probably replaces a sentimental name cut out before being given away, 2 tiny repairs to second title page already mentioned, 3 small slight abrasions to upper cover, pale age-browning to text and black and white plates, foxing to second part, mostly affecting text, tiny pale brown spot to the lower margin of 1 plate, small pale brown stain to lower margin of 1 text page, pale offset to 4 text pages from facing plates, occasional tiny pale mark or spot, otherwise a very good copy. Rashleigh's collection of minerals was remarkable for its various specimens of tin. Much is on display at the Royal Cornwall Museum with portions at the Natural History Museum and its most valuable portions are described in two volumes of Specimens of British Minerals from his cabinet (1797 and 1802). By 1794 he had acquired over 4,000 mineral specimens and started to look for a "a good clever man to draw and colour some of my minerals,". He settled on the well known Cornish enamel painter, Henry Bone (1755-1834), to produce the paintings of the hand coloured engravings showing 194 specimens. This first volume was published in 1797 as "specimens of British Minerals, Selected from the Cabinet of Philip Rashleigh". He then sought other artists to produce a second volume in 1802, with 21 hand coloured plates illustrating 48 specimens. Under 1 mineral on plate xiv in Part 2 is a pencil note "Drawn by H.R." likely Harriet Rashleigh. Philip Rashleigh was Cornwall's most famous antiquary and mineralogist, his mineral collections are held in two places: the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro and the Natural History Museum, London. ESTC T102663. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.