Biographical references: Allibone, Dictionary of English Literature, 1859-71. • BBA: I 570, 118. • WBI.

1. English, 1747 [First edition].
The | Miners Dictionary. | Explaining | Not only the Terms used by Miners, | But also Containing | The Theory and Practice | Of that most Useful | Art of Mineing, \sic | More especially of | Lead-Mines. | I. How a Gentleman may know whether He has Mines | in his Land, or not. | II. How he may know the cheapest and best Way to come at | Them. | III. The Method of carrying Them on, in order | to make them Profitable Works. | Together with a large Account of all necessary Materials | that are required, conducive thereto. | The Whole being ver great Use to all Miners | and Gentlemen, who have Miners in their own Lands, | and all such as are concern'd in Mines. | Being Observations made by the Author, | from more than Forty Years Practice and Experience, | at the Mines in the High and Low Peak in Der- | byshire, Shropshire, South and North-Wales, and the North | of England. | [rule] | By William Hooson, | A Derbyshire Miner. | [rule] | Printed for the Author, and T. Payne, | Bookseller in Wrexham. | MDCCXLVII.

8°: π⁶ A-Y⁴ [a]⁴ b-d⁴; 115l.; [230] p. No pagination. Page size: 200 x 120 mm.

Contents: π1, Title page, verso blank.; π2r, Dedication, signed William Hooson.; π2v, "The | Preface."; π3r-π3v, "A | List | Of the | Subscribers."; A1r-Y4v, [a1r], Text.; [a1v]-[a2r], "The following Discourse is Inscribed to that | Honest and well Experienced Miner | John Staley, of Toulgrave, in Derbyshire."; [a2r]-d4v, "An | Appendix, | Concerning | The three Propositions in the Title | Page."

Very rare. The only edition, produced for just 48 subscribers, and totaling only 70 copies. Hooson was a practical Derbyshire miner, and although some of the terms and definitions are in a dialect particular to the period and location, there is never the less a great deal of practical information concerning the mining practices in the lead mines of Derbyshire of the time. Of consequence to mineralogy are the terms and definitions Hooson gives various mineral forms encountered during mining.

Facsimile reprint, 1979: The miner's dictionary. explaining not only the terms used by miners, but also containing the theory and practice of that most useful art of mineing, more especially of lead mines ... being observations made by the author from more than forty years practice and experience at the mines in the High and Low Peak in Derbyshire, Shropshire, South and North Wales and the North of England. by William Hooson. Ilkley, Scolar Press for the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, 1979. [BL, X.958/934.]

Bibliographical references: BL [953.c.17.]. • LKG: VIII 2. • Michael Phelps, Bookseller: cat. 43, no. 273 (1992). • Zeitlinger & Sotheran, Bibliotheca Chemico, 1921-52: Suppl. 2, no. 14120.