THE GEOLOGY OF SOUTH AFRICA (1905)

Magnum opus compendium about geology of the entire South Africa with total of 89 illustrations, plans, sketches and in-text maps plus two multiple folding color maps and folding table.

Folding maps and tables:

- Multiple folding color Geological map of South Africa (48 x 26 cm) by G.S. Corstorphine;

- Multiple folding color Geological map of the Transvaal  (72 x 58 cm) by F.H. Hatch;

- Multiple folding Table of South African Strata.

This is an extremely rare copy of this precious work, hard to find even in National and University Libraries - and the only complete copy selling on internet!

Hatch, Frederick Henry (1864-1932) was geologist and mining engineer. Frederick Hatch is best known in England as a petrologist (one who studies the systematic description of rocks, their origin and relationships), but is regarded in South Africa as a pioneer of the geology of the Witwatersrand goldfield. He was also instructor in geology at the Royal Geographical Society and lectured aspiring explorers in the subject. In 1893, he became assistant to the charismatic American mining engineer John Hays Hammond (1855-1936) who had recently joined B. I. Barnato’s "De Beers Consolidated Mines company". Early in 1894, Hammond was invited by Cecil Rhodes to become chief consulting engineer to Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa, and Hatch moved with him. He subsequently accompanied Hammond and Rhodes on a two-month expedition to evaluate the gold-mining potential of Matabeleland and Mashonaland [now in Zimbabwe], during which they were joined by Dr. Leander Jameson (later Sir), one of Rhodes’ closest associates. Hatch's geological map (1897), covering 8000 square miles of the Southern Transvaal, greatly assisted subsequent exploration for the Main Reef. As a consultant, he subsequently studied gold, copper and nickel mines in Canada, Spain, India and Eritrea but returned to Johannesburg as a mining engineer with Messrs. His publications include "The Gold Mines of the Rand" (with J.A. Chalmers, 1895); "The Geology of South Africa" (with G.S. Corstorphine, 1905); "An Introduction to the Study of Ore Deposits" (1929); etc. (https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10095864/1/Hatch_ONDB_biography.pdf)

Original green cloth hardcovers; Text in English; Collation complete - Half-title, frontispiece multiple folding color Geological map of South Africa, Title page, 348 pages, with folding Table of South African Strata (facing the page 33) and multiple folding color Geological map of the Transvaal at the end of the volume; Binding is tight and firm, shelf bumped and with minor scuffings to spine and boards extremities. Ex-library copy with associated markings to the spine, front paste down (library label), front free endpaper (ex-owner's name) and a few stamps to the back of the maps. Internal spine showing signs of beginning to crack (the webbing is visible between page blocks) at front hinge between free enpaper and half-title, but pages secure. Pages clear and very bright (only with slight yellowing), no foxing throughout, no annotations or highlighting to text. Maps and strata are complete and present. Short tear (3 cm) to the fold of the Geological map of the Transvaal, little creased to the right white margin.

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