Ancient Sea-Margins,

First edition and a finely bound copy of publisher Robert Chambers' only purely geological work, the follow-up to his Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (1844).

The Vestiges, which proposed that 'scientific laws explained and governed not only the development of higher life forms but also the origin of life itself' was a publishing sensation, going through four editions in seven months. It was, however, criticised by scientists for its factual errors, and so for the present volume Chambers did his own geological research, proposing that terraces were formed by the oscillations of the seabed raising and lowering sea level, and illustrating the argument with examples from Scotland.

First edition; 8vo (22 x 13 cm); lithographic frontispiece, hand-coloured folding map, engravings and tables within the text, bookplate, contents fresh; contemporary tan calf, spine elaborately gilt in compartments, green morocco label, double gilt fillets, marbled endpapers and edges, binding very lightly rubbed at the extremities, excellent condition; 337pp.