Lettres Physiques et Morales, sur les Montagnes et sur l'Histoire de la Terre et de l'Homme
FIRST PRINTING OF THE TERM 'GEOLOGY'. In these papers, fashioned as letters to Queen Charlotte (r. 1761-1818), Jean-André Deluc first proposes the term "geology" as a separate science, though noting that the word was not yet in common use (preface, pp. vii-viii). The term would eventually come to be popularized the following year by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure. Prior to this, study of the state and history of the Earth generally fell under the study of natural history, as a subsection of cosmology. His scientific interests in geology and meteorology dominated Deluc's professional focus by the time he moved to London, though never completely overshadowed his Calvinist background; his attempts to reconcile biblical history with his emergent geological researches prevented him from securing a greater legacy, though he inspired later bright minds such as Georges Cuvier.
A La Haye [i.e. The Hague]: Chez De Tune Libraire, 1778. xxviii, 226 pp. Octavo (225x140 mm). First Edition. Original marbled wrappers, edges untrimmed. Wrappers fairly worn with some losses at spine, spine leaning. Quires H, L, and O with some light dampstaining to top corner not affecting text; a very few minor stains throughout. Otherwise quite nice inside. Very Good+. Item #469Price: $800.00