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1502 - Geology – Mineralogy
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Estimate €1,200 - €1,800
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Description
Geology – Mineralogy Goldschmidt, Victor Crystallographic Projections. With 19 plates, some of which are colour lithographs. Partly printed in colour. Berlin: Published by Julius Springer, 1887. 2 vols. Text and atlas. Folio (atlas) and 8° (text volume in facsimile). Leather-bound slipcase and paper-bound volumes. Hertz, Journal of the German Geological Society, 1903, 33. – Marshman, Crystallography, XI. – Schuh, Curtis P.: Mineralogical Record Biobibliography, s.v. ‘Goldschmidt, Victor’, online: mineralogicalrecord.com. - Extremely rare; no copies have appeared at auction in the last 50 years. - Only a few physical copies exist in libraries (DNB, Leipzig, Stabi Berlin, Libris Stockholm). This atlas forms a link in the chain of Goldschmidt’s interconnected studies, the publication of which began with his monumental *Index of the Crystal Forms of Minerals* (Berlin, Springer, 1886–1891). The projected images bridge the gap between the spatial perception of the crystal form and its abstract numerical description. The 19 main plates, presented in gnomonic projection and as so-called ‘point diagrams’, cover the following mineral species and groups: pyrite (plates I–II), calcite (III–IV), red pyrite (V–VI), with an enlarged supplementary sheet of the central fields (VII), iron pyrite (VIII–IX), quartz (X–XII, including the central field on a larger scale), bournonite (XIII–XIV), humite group: humite, clinohumite, chondrodite (XV–XVI, with optical dimensions), magnetite, beryl, idocrase, barite, epidote, axinite as examples of halftone plates (XVII) Amphibole – derivation of the perspective and horizontal images from the gnomonic projection image (XVIII), Anorthite twin images (Albit’s law, Manebacher’s law) as well as line drawings of the main zone development in calcite, red pyrite, iron pyrite and quartz (XIX) The supplements – a hexagonal and a tetragonal projection grid – were designed as practical aids for copying by hand and were sold separately at a price of 1.60 M each for a set of four sheets. They thus represented an optional, supplementary tool for scientific use, going beyond the actual body of work. These are not included here. Goldschmidt’s projection diagrams were produced in the era before X-ray structural analysis, when measuring crystal faces with a goniometer was the only method available for accurately describing the symmetry and shape of a crystal. The gnomonic projection transferred the measured surface angles as points onto a Wulff net, thereby producing a simplified, visual representation of all known forms of a mineral species on a single sheet. This enabled researchers to immediately compare newly hypothesised crystal forms against Goldschmidt’s plates. Owing to the enormous variety of forms exhibited by the selected minerals – in particular pyrite, calcite and quartz – such a large sheet size was necessary to present the wealth of projection points in a legible manner. The work is regarded as an ‘exceptional and unique work of crystallography’ and as a by-product of the *Index of Crystal Forms*. – One page with a restored tear; a few plates with small spots; the title page with a small tear to the outer margin. - A withdrawn copy from the former Institute of Mineralogy and Petrology at the University of Bonn, bearing a stamp and a de-dedication stamp. - Overall, a fine copy of this rare work. Geology. - Mineralogy. - With 19 partly chromolithographic plates. Half-leather portfolio and paper boards. - Hertz, Journal of the German Geological Society, 1903, 33. - Marshman, Crystallography, XI. - Of the greatest rarity; no copy has appeared at auction in the last 50 years. Only a few physical copies exist in libraries (DNB, Leipzig, Stabi Berlin, Libris Stockholm). This volume of plates forms a link in the chain of Goldschmidt’s interconnected investigations, the publication of which began with his monumental *Index der Krystallformen der Mineralien* (Berlin, Springer, 1886–1891). The projected images serve as a bridge between the spatial visualisation of the crystal form and its abstract numerical description. The 19 main plates deal, in gnomonic projection and as so-called ‘point diagrams’, with the following mineral species and groups: pyrite (plates I–II), calcite (III–IV), pyrargyrite (‘Rotgültigerz’, V–VI), with an enlarged supplementary sheet of the central fields (VII), haematite (“Eisenglanz”, VIII–IX), quartz (X–XII, including the central field on a larger scale), bournonite (XIII–XIV), the humite group: humite, clinohumite, chondrodite (XV–XVI, with optical dimensions), magnetite, beryl, vesuvianite (“Idokras”), barite, epidote, and axinite as examples of gridded sheets (XVII), amphibole-derived perspective and horizontal images from the gnomonic projection (XVIII), anorthite twin images (albite law, Manebach law) as well as line diagrams of the principal zonal development of calcite, pyrargyrite, haematite and quartz (XIX). The supplements—a hexagonal and a tetragonal projection net—were designed as a practical working aid to enable readers to plot their own diagrams and were sold separately at a price of 1.60 M for four sheets. They thus represented an optional, supplementary tool for scholarly personal use, going beyond the main body of the work itself. These are not included here. Goldschmidt’s projection images were created in the era before X-ray structural analysis, when measuring crystal faces with a goniometer was the only method available for precisely describing a crystal’s symmetry and form. Gnomonic projection transferred the measured facial angles as points onto a Wulff net, thereby producing a simplified, visual representation of all known forms of a mineral species on a single sheet. Researchers could thus compare newly hypothesised crystal forms directly against Goldschmidt’s plates. Owing to the enormous diversity of forms found in the selected minerals—particularly pyrite, calcite and quartz—such a large sheet format was necessary in order to render the abundance of projection points legibly. The work is regarded as an “extraordinary and unique work of crystallography” and as a by-product of the *Index der Krystallformen*. – One leaf with a restored tear, a few plates with small spots, title page with a small marginal loss to the outer edge. - Deaccessioned copy from the former Mineralogical-Petrological Institute of the University of Bonn, bearing an ownership stamp and a deaccession stamp. - Overall, a good copy of this rare work. - Overall, a good copy of this rare work. This lot is subject to standard tax. A 24.95% buyer’s premium is payable on the hammer price, and 7% (Books and Art) or 19% VAT (Manuscripts, Screenprints, Offset Prints, Photographs) is payable on the final invoice amount within the European Union. This work is subject to the standard margin scheme. A 24.95% buyer’s premium applies to the hammer price, and 7% (books and art) or 19% VAT (manuscripts, screen prints, offset prints and photographs) applies to the final invoice amount within the European Union.
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About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
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Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
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