Statistique géologique du département de l'Yonne. Statistique générale par V. Raulin, d'apres ses propres observations et celles de M. Leymerie, avec la carte carte géologique du département par A. Leymerie et V. Raulin.

Auxerre, Perriquet et Rouille (for the Departement de Yonne), 1858. 8vo (22.6 x 14.6 cm). 864 pp.; folded hand-coloured lithographed geological map with 22 different colours, and two hand-coloured geological profiles with 15 colours. Contemporary half calf over marbled boards. Spine with gilt lines and red morocco label with gilt title. Marbled endpapers. Speckled edges. = A very peculiar copy of a rare, early, and controversial work on the geologically diverse French department Yonne, around the town of Auxerre, in central France, including a fine geological map. Most probably the first ever published. The authors are the French mineralogist and Professor of Geology in Bordeaux, Félix Victor Raulin (1815-1906) and his compatriot, and likewise Professor of Geology, in Toulouse, Alexandre Félix Gustave Achille Leymerie (1801-1878). They were "friends" for more than 20 years but after quarrelling most of the time, mainly about the division of work, payment, and acknowledgements related to this "Yonne" geology paper, their friendship fell apart, culminating in a lawsuit by Raulin against Leymerie, in particular focussing on the precise wording of the title. This delayed publication. Science, however, did not suffer, and the quality of the map and profiles is excellent. This copy is peculiar because it does include both the "Précis pour M. V. Raulin . contre M. A. Leymerie" (23 pp., including the letters sent between both men), and the statement by the court "Cour Impériale de Toulouse. M. Raulin contre M. Leymerie" (eight pp.). Raulin suggested that he won, but that is not apparent from the court papers, nor from the official title page. However, the title page of this copy is entirely reset, it does not mention the Paris publisher, Baillière, and the letter size of the name Leymerie is much reduced. Apparently, Raulin took all the extra trouble to do himself more justice than granted by the court. This is the only copy with these additions and alterations that we know of. The reback is rather medium, the contents, however, are very good, clean, except for a marginal chip in pp. 621-622. Neither in Cat. BM(NH) nor in Ward and Carozzi.