Beudant, Francois Sulpice | Voyage mineralogique et geologique, en Hongrie, pendant l'annee 1818

Beudant, Francois Sulpice

Voyage mineralogique et geologique, en Hongrie, pendant l'annee 1818. Paris: Chez Verdiere, 1822

4 volumes, including the atlas, 4to (261 x 206 mm). Half titles, atlas volume with folding table and 14 engraved plates, comprising 1 hand colored double page map, 7 hand-colored folding plans (one with an engraved slip tipped on to the plate), and 6 folding maps, 3 of which are hand colored, followed by the 16-page “Extrait du Rapport” by Humboldt, Lelievre, and Brochant; occasional spotting, pale dampstain in volume 1, all but 3 of the plates are very lightly toned, the plates' edges often folded over or creased, one of the folding maps with some splitting along the folds. The text volumes in contemporary half spotted calf, marbled paper boards, gilt tooled spines, red and green spine labels, the atlas volume in modern half calf with marbled paper boards, bound to style with the text volumes; the text volumes with light wear to extremities, the joints cracking or starting, a pale dampstain to the upper board of volume I, the atlas lightly rubbed at spine ends and corners, with a very small crack in the calf at the top of the front joint.

First edition of this impressive geological survey. Beudant was appointed by the French court in 1818 to undertake this scientific expedition of Hungary, which encompassed a very large geographic area at that time. The results of his investigation were published in the present monumental report, complete with the atlas that contains detailed geological maps and stratigraphic plans of the region. Beudant's survey also included parts of neighboring states, including The Balkans, Austria, Romania, and Russia, with detailed maps of Chemitz and Transylvania, as well as his description of the opal mines in Dubrik. Several English translations of his detailed remarks on various types of opal were published in England in the United States.

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