Notice on the Megalosaurus a paper by William Buckland first edition 1824
BUCKLAND, William – Notice on the Megalosaurus [in] Transactions Second Series V1 part the second
*A landmark scientific paper being the first time a dinosaur is described*
London: The Geological Society (1824)
4to; bound in an institutional contemporary binding, rebacked with the original spine re-laid; University College, Bristol Library bookplate to the inside board, written in ink ‘cancelled’, along with a second label on the same board stating ‘Geology Library shelf number’; collation there are two title pages for both parts of volume 1, and a complete contents page, put after that there are the journals and plates for part the second only; pp [xiii], 175-454, [10 pages describing the plates and maps], plates XXV-XLVII at the rear, plates incomplete with 5 missing these being 32,33, 35, 48 and 49; The 6 page paper on the Megalosaurus by William Buckland is complete and all 5 related plates are contained in the rear and so complete; a professor at Bristol University has made sporadic pencil notes to some of the papers in particular to the ‘south western coal district’ paper that involved areas of Bristol; there is are the odd marks to pages, the maps towards the rear have been repaired with tape, in relation to the Megalosaurus paper and plates: there are thumb marks to page 394-5, plate 41 has some edge wear and plate 42 a smattering of foxing marks; overall very good.
‘Transactions’ was The Geological Society’s first publication, instigated because of a decision by its council to record significant work carried out by it. The journal was first published in 1811 and was a lavish production, almost entirely financed by a small handful of the wealthiest members. In 1822, the council decided it couldn’t rely on wealthy benefactors and decided to produce a more efficient version of the journal; hence Transactions series II was born. Transactions was an unusual journal in that it was an irregular and occasional publication. For example, series II volume 1 was spread over 2 parts, with part 1 appearing in 1822 and part 2 in 1824. By 1856, the society discontinued it, opting instead for a cheaper, shorter quarterly journal. Many important scientific papers were published during the early days of Transactions, and arguably top of that pile appeared in this book, this being the then president of the society, William Buckland’s short paper on the Megalosaurus.
William Buckland became Chairman of the society in 1824, and it was in his first year that he included two papers in transactions. The journal was dominated by his first on the coal district of England, but it was his second short 6-page paper that he would be forever known. He described for the first time the species Megalosaurus. His paper was based on fossils discovered at Stonefield in Oxfordshire, which had been collected over several decades. William Buckland reframed our understanding of the history of life on earth, and rather than being thought of as elephants or overgrown modern-day lizards, they were described as something entirely different. Buckland’s wife to be, Mary Morland also produced detailed drawings, that were made into lithographs for the journal, two which fold out. These five stunning lithographs are bound into the rear of the books. Buckland’s paper and term Megalosaurus was one of three identified species that then went on to be used by Richard Owen, with him coining the phrase ‘Dinosauria’ in 1842. This is a landmark paper, that Oxford University said last year, in celebrating its 200-year anniversary, was a pivotal moment in science. Oxford University’s Museum of natural history displayed the fossils and this paper in an exhibition, to highlight the work and Buckland’s lecture to his society colleagues about it. It is a key paper and very scarce to find with none for sale in commerce and only a handful in institutions.