An Annotated List of Selected References on the History of Geology

(with all the biases implicit in my selection and annotation processes)

• Adams, F. D. (1938) The Birth and Development of the Geological Sciences, Dover. (Despite age, this survey remains useful, particularly for ancient, medieval and Renaissance science.)
• Allbritton, C.C., Jr. (1981) The Abyss of Time, Freeman and Cooper. (This work is relatively accessible examination of how the conception of geological time developed, largely through case studies of individuals.)
• Burchfield, J. D. (1975) Lord Kelvin and the Age of the Earth, University of Chicago Press, 260 p. (A rather detailed and clearly written treatment of Kelvin's attack on the geological time scale, and its ultimate resolution.)
• Davies, G. L. (1969) The Earth in Decay, Elsevier. (A readable and detailed treatment of the problem of denudation and the early study of landforms through the nineteenth century.)
• Ellenberger, F. (1996) History of Geology, v. 1 - From ancient times to the first half of the XVII century: A. A. Balkema. (This work and the following deal with the early history of geology from a Continental [French] perspective. They are full of lots of useful information although the organization is a bit tough to follow. Includes extracts and summaries of many works.)
• Ellenberger, F. (1999) History of Geology, v. 2 - The great awakening and its first fruits 1660-1810: A. A. Balkema (translated by M. Carozzi).
• Faul, H. and Faul. C (1983) It Began with a Stone, Wiley-Interscience. (Written for a general audience, this survey is popular. I find it a bit thin.)
• Fenton, C. L., and Fenton, M. A. (1952) Giants of Geology: Doubleday, 333 p. (Revised and enlarged version of earlier work. Written for a general audience but useful for biographical information - appears to be in part derived from Geikie so some caution is in order.)
• Geikie, A. (1905) The Founders of Geology, 2nd Ed., Dover (reprint). (Very opinionated/biased but lots of information - must be used with care.)
• Glen, W. (1982) The Road to Jaramillo, Stanford University Press. (A nice history of the development of the magnetic-reversal time scale).
• Gohau, G. (1990) A History of Geology, Rutgers University (translation by Carozzi and Carozzi). (A general history from a French perspective - in places insightful, in others maddening.)
• Gould, S. J. (1987) Time's Arrow, Time's Cycle, Harvard Univ. Press. (A popular and enjoyable discussion of the two alternatives of directional versus cyclic views of Earth history using Burnet, Hutton, and Lyell's works.)
• Green, M. T. (1982) Geology in the Nineteenth Century, Cornell Univ. Press, 324 p. (Despite the title, this is really an excellent study of tectonic theory through the nineteenth century.)
• Hallam, A. (1989) Great Geological Controversies, second edition, Oxford Univ. Press, 244 p. (A series of essays that thoughtfully and concisely examine a series of major controversies - now in its second edition.)
• Laudan, R. (1987) From Mineralogy to Geology, Univ. of Chicago Press, 278 p. (This thought-provoking and important book examines the central European chemistry/mineralogy tradition that led to Werner's work, and argues for its central role in the development of geology. It should be read with Rappaport and Porter.)
• LeGrand, H. E. (1988) Drifting Continents and Shifting Theories: Cambridge University Press. (This treatment should be contrasted with Stewart.)
• Lyell, C., 1990, Principles of Geology: with an introduction by M. J. S. Rudwick, University of Chicago Press, 3 volumes. (A high-quality reprint with an excellent introduction by Rudwick and a listing of Lyell's sources.)
• Lyell, C., 1997, Principles of Geology: edited with an introduction by J. A. Secord, Penguin Books, 472 p. (Abridged version that omits much of the third volume. Includes a list of contemporary reviews.)
• Mather, K. E. and Mason, S. L. (1939) Source Book in Geology, McGraw Hill. (This an the following book contain a great selection of short selections from many early geological works. This one is quite good on the early study of fossils and volcanoes.)
• Mather, K. E. (1967) Source Book in Geology, 1900-1950, Harvard Press.
• Oldroyd, D. R. (1990) The Highlands Controversy, Univ. of Chicago Press, 438 p. (A delightful look at the controversy over the geological structure of the Highlands and the recognition of thrust faults.)
• Oldroyd, D. R. (1996) Thinking about the Earth: a History of Ideas in Geology: Harvard University Press. (The best single-volume history of geology that I have found. Not perfect but a good overview.)
• Oliver, J. (1996) Shocks and Rocks: Seismology in the Plate Tectonics Revolution: American Geophysical Society (An account by a seismologist who played a key role in development of plate tectonics.)
• Oreskes, N. (1999) The Rejection of Continental Drift: Theory and Method in American Earth Science: Oxford University Press. (The focus is on the pre-plate tectonics rejection of continental drift by American geologists - quite insightful.)
• Playfair, John (1802) Illustrations of Huttonian Theory, Edinburg; Facsimile Reprint with introduction by G. W. White, Univ. of Ill. Press (1956). (This reprint is readily available. Playfair toned down Hutton's deism and also made his contributions to Huttonian Theory.)
• Porter, R. (1977) The Making of Geology - Earth Science in Britain 1660-1815, Cambridge. (A detailed and thoughtful analysis of British earth science during the development of geology. Should be read with Laudan and Rappaport.)
• Rappaport, R. (1997) When Geologists were Historians 1665-1750: Cornell University Press. (This study focuses on the French and Italian naturalist traditions. Read with Laudan and Porter.)
• Rudwick, M. J. S. (1973) The Meaning of Fossils - Episodes in the History of Paleontology, Elsevier. (The title - episodes - accurately conveys the approach used. Very good on how the view of fossils changed through time.)
• Rudwick, M. J. S. (1985) The Great Devonian Controversy, University of Chicago Press, 494 p. (Perhaps the finest study of a geological debate that I have encountered. A real gem to be enjoyed!)
• Rudwick, M. J. S. (1992) Scenes from Deep Time, University of Chicago Press, 280 p. (This book is rather unique in that it examines how pictorial representations of past worlds reflect underlying geological thinking.)
• Rudwick, M. J. S. (1997) Georges Cuvier, fossil bones, and geological catastrophies - new translations and interpretations of the primary texts: University of Chicago Press, 301 p. (Important study that restores Cuvier's position in geohistory.- new translations with excellent commentary.)
• Scrope, G.P. (1858) The Geology of Extinct Volcanoes of Auvergne, W. Phillips, London. (This is a revised version of an 1827 book on the Auvergne that influenced Lyell and others. Available in reprint).
• Secord, J.A. (1986) Controversy in Victorian Geology: The Cambrian-Silurian Dispute, Princeton. (A clear and detailed exposition of the classic Murchinson-Sedgewick dispute over the Camrbian-Silurian.)
• Stewart, J. A. (1990) Drifting Continents and Colliding Paradigms: Perspectives on the Geoscience Revolution: Indiana University Press. (Should be compared to LeGrand.)
• Werner, A. G. (1787) Brief Classification of the Different Rocks (Translated from German by Alex. Ospovat, 1970), Hafner. (This is one of the few of Werner works that survives. The commentary is very useful and clarifies Werner's ideas. Laudan is a useful complementary work.)
• Wood, R. M. (1985) The Dark Side of the Earth - The Battle for the Earth Sciences: 1800-1980, Allen & Unwin. (The work is very useful in understanding the development of geophysics despite its occasional bias against geology. I would use the section on plate tectonics with care.)
• Von Zittel, K. (1901) History of Geology and Paleontology (translation by M. M. Ogilvie-Gordon), reprinted in 1962, J. Cramer, Weinheim. (Very thorough presentation from a Continental perspective that is more reliable than Geike. English translation is abridged.)