Atlas géologique ou vues d'Amas colonnes basaltiques: (Geological Atlas or Views of Basalt Column Masses)

Very good copy of Scipion Breislak's rare atlas of famous dramatic landscapes of volcanic lava and columnar basalt

Atlas géologique ou vues d'Amas colonnes basaltiques faisant suite aux Institutions Géologiques de Scipion Breislak, Milan, Imprimerie impériale et royale, 1818.

Published as part of Traite sur la Structure Exterieure du Globe, (Milan, 1822) following Institutions Geologiques (Milan,1818).

Complete with 53 fine copperplate engravings of dramatic natural geological formations in Europe, Mexico and the Reunion Islands. Plus two plates of geological specimens.

Including the famous basalt steps at Giant's Causeway (Antrim, Ireland), Fingal's Cave, Staffa (Scotland), the volcanic cirque at Ashna-cregs, Mull (Scotland), Rochemaure castle at Montelimar, France, Chenavari Peak, Mont Jastrie, Bridon bridge, the causeway at Rigaudel bridge (France), the grotto at Beaume bridge (France), the waterfall at Pont de la Gueule d'Enfer (France), Stolpen Castle, Saxony (Germany), the basalt walls at Meisner (Germany), Klopay castle (Czech Republic), Detunata Goala, Alba county, Transylvania (Romania), Oberwinter on the Rhine opposite Unkel (Germany), the Devil's Mount (Monte del Diavolo) near Vincenza, Verona, (Italy), the waterfall at Schiva-noja, Castelnuovo (Italy), prismatic lava at Triponzio Valley (Italy), the Cyclopean Islands and La Motte mountain, Catania (Sicily), Youm-Bournon on the Black Sea, the falls at Regla, Mexico City (Mexico), and the Riviere des Roches and the Basin of Chites (Reunion Island).

Many of the landscapes decorated with charming 18th century figures of geologists, scientists and artists exploring and sketching.

Complete with 55 engraved full-page plates after original drawings by geologists, explorers and artists including Barthelemy Faujas de Saint-Fond, Giambattista Brocchi, Giovanni De Min, Arnault Eloi Gautier D'Agoty, Franz Ambrosius Reuss, I. F. Lochner, Cosimo Alessandro Collini, Antonio di Bittio, Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent, Alexander Humboldt, Giuseppe Rinelli, Sellier, Veyrenc, Biasini, Durand, Bagnara, Bombara, etc.

The plates mostly finely engraved by Gaetano Riboldi and Giuseppe Dall'Acqua.

Scipion Breislak (1748-1826), was an Italian geologist and mineralogist of Swedish parentage. His other works include: Topografia fisica della Campania (1798), Introduzione alla geologia (1811) and Descrizione geologica della provincia di Milano (1822).

In recent brown leather with five-raised bands on spine, green leather title label in gilt, boards in marble papers, new endapapers, Avis plate with water stain in lower right corner, title page with publisher's name Imprimerie impériale et royale blacked out in ink and lacking 3cm of lower edge within plate mark (title page facsimile bound in), Plate 1 with repaired tear extending from gutter into the plate mark, all other plates clean and fresh with dark impressions of these dramatic and bizarre landscapes. Plates with slight waviness in center from being stored folded before rebinding.

A lovely copy with a few slight faults.

Comes with Volume 1 only (of 3) of the text volume Traite sur la Structure Exterieure du Globe, Jean-Pierre Giegler, Milan, 1822, in original blue paper wraps, bumped, and stained.