(Born: Edinburgh, Scotland, 12 October 1806; Died: Edinburgh, Scotland, 6 June 1863) Scottish mineralogist & banker.

Son of Thomas Allan, Robert received his mineralogical training from Wilhelm Haidinger and his father. Throughout most of his life, Robert collected minerals on annual excursions at the principal localities of Europe. Eventually, he inherited his father's mineral collection, which he later sold to Robert Greg.

Biographical references: Barr, Index to Biographical Fragments, 1973: 4. • BBA: I 18, 340. • Cleevely, World Palæontological Collections, 1983: 40. • Embry, Foreword, 1977. • Henry, W.C., Biographical Notice of the Late Robert Allan. Edinburgh, 1863. [privately published.]. • Livingstone, Minerals of Scotland, 2002: p. 54-6, portrait. • Poggendorff: 3, 21. • Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: 5 (1862-6), 30-2. • WBI.

Manual of Mineralogy, 1834

1. English, 1834 [Original edition].
A | Manual | of | Mineralogy | Comprehending | the most Recent Discoveries | in the | Mineral Kingdom. | By | Robert Allan, Esq. | F.R.S.E. M.G.S.L., &c. | [ornament] | Edinburgh | Printed for Adam and Charles Black | and Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman, | London. | 1834.

8°: [a]-d⁸ e⁵ A-Y⁸; 213l.; [i]-lxxiii, [1], [1]-351, [1] p., 15 folding plates of crystal drawings. Page size: 225 x 140 mm. uncut

Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii], Dedication to William Henry.; [iv], Blank.; [v]-x, "Preface."; [xi]-lxii, "Introduction."; [lxiii]-lxxiii, "Synopsis of the Arrangement."; [1 pg], "Errata."; [1]-296, Descriptive mineralogy.; [297]-328, "Appendix."-more species.; [329]-351, "Index."-colophon, p. 351, "Printed by Thomas Allan & Co., Edinburgh."; [1 pg], Blank.; [At end], 15 folding plates of crystal drawings.

Scarce. An introductory work to mineralogy. The first part covers the terminology of mineralogical science, including specific gravity, hardness, color, transparency, lustre, streak, cleavage & fracture, other external characters, parasitic formation of minerals (i.e., pseudomorphs), chemical composition, and the use of the blowpipe. The second part is a standard descriptive mineralogy, with a section at the end covering the newest species.

Bibliographical references: BL [no copy listed]. • BMC: 1, 29. • Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 65. • NUC: 9, 82. • Roller & Goodman, Catalogue, 1976: 1, 29.

2. German, 1838 [German transl.].
Die Mineralogie. Nach dem neuesten Entdeckungen im Mineralreiche, auf Allgemein fassliche Weise vortragen von Robert Allan ... Deutsche bearbeitet von Carl Hartmann. Quedlinburg, Basse, 1838.

8°: [1]-261, [1] p., folding plate.

Rare. Translation by Carl Friedrich Alexander Hartmann from A Manual of Mineralogy (Edinburgh & London, 1834).

Bibliographical references: BL [no copy listed]. • NUC: 9, 82. • Partsch, Katalog der Bibliothek, 1851: no. 38.

An elementary introduction to mineralogy ... By William Phillips ... Fourth edition ... considerably augmented by Robert Allan ... (London, 1837).
See under: Phillips, William.

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