Natural history of New York. By authority. Palaeontology of New York. Volume II. Containing descriptions of the organic remains of the Lower Middle Division of the New-York System (Equivalent of the Middle Silurian rocks of Europe).

New York, NY, D. Appleton & Co and Wiley & Putnam; Boston, MA, Gould, Kendall & Lincoln, 1852. Large 4to (29.5 x 24.5 cm). Title with engraved allegorial vignette, letterpress title, viii, 362 pp.; 104 lithographed plates (numbered: 1-84, 4bis, 5a, A17, 34A, 34A (bis), 35 (bis), 36A, 37A, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E, 40F, 40G, A41, 49a, A66, 77a, 83 supplement). Original blindstamped cloth. Spine with gilt title and front board with gilt vignette. = A massive monograph, with excellent illustrations of generally well-preserved Palaeozoic fossils. Brachiopoda, and Mollusca are well-represented. Written by the American geologist and palaeontologist James Hall (1811-1898). "Between 1847 and 1894 Hall published 13 volumes of The Palaeontology of New York, his principal contribution in the field. This massive work consisted of over 4500 pages and 1000 full-page illustrations. In addition, Hall wrote more than 30 other books, published over 1000 works,[5] and contributed sections to several federal and state publications on geology. He was a founding member of the National Academy of Sciences and the first president of the Geological Society of America" (Wikipedia). Foxing to endpapers. the first twenty or so text leaves, and explanatory leaves (double acting as tissue guards, and on thinner paper). Most text sections and plates, however, clean. The original binding, prone to chipping, is surprisingly intact. A very good copy. Very uncommon if not rare; especially outside the US.