NICOL, James.
(1810 – 1879)
Nicol educated at the Universities of Edinburgh, Bonn and Berlin. He became associated in 1841 with Queen's College, Cork, Ireland, being appointed professor of geology in 1849. Then in 1853, he became professor of natural history at the University of Aberdeen, where he remained until 1878. Nicol was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and Royal Society of Edinburgh. His research included important geological studies of Tweed and the Scottish uplands.
Biographical references: Barr, Index to Biographical Fragments, 1973: 191. • BBA: I 817, 178-180. • Boase, Modern English Biography, 1892-1921. • Cleevely, World Palæontological Collections, 1983: 215. • DNB: 14, 483-4. • Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition. • Lambrecht & Quenstedt, Catalogus, 1938: 313. • Sarjeant, Geologists, 1980: 3, 1789 & Suppl. 2 (1995), 2, 935. • WBI. • World Who's Who in Science: 1255.
1. English, 1849 [First edition].
Manual | of | Mineralogy: | or the | Natural History | of the | Mineral Kingdom, | containing | a General Introduction to the Science, and Descriptions of | the Separate Species, including the More Recent | Discoveries and Chemical Analysis. | By | James Nicol, F.R.S.E., F.G.S. | Assistant Secretary of the Geological Society. | Edinburgh: | Adam and Charles Black, North Bridge; | Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, London. | MDCCCXLIX.
8°: [i]-xxiv, [1]-576 p., 259 illus. (mostly of crystals). Pressed cloth, geometric design on covers and spine. Page size: 190 x 125 mm.
Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso blank.; [iii]-v, "Preface."-dated London 20th March 1849.; [vi], "List of Works on Mineralogy."; [vii]-x, "Contents."; [xi]-xxiv, "Tabular View of the Arrangement of Minerals, and their more important characters, intended to facilitate the discovery of the names of species."; [1]-4, "Introduction."; 4-107, "Part I. Terminology."; [108], Blank.; [109]-525, "Part II. Description of the Mineral Species."; [526], "Appendix."; [527]-566, "Chemical Arrangement of Minerals, according to the principles of Berzelius, by C.F. Rammelsberg ..."; [567]-576, "Index of Simple Minerals."-page 576, colophon, "Edinburgh: Printed by Robert Inches ..."
Very scarce. "The Manual of Mineralogy is a thorough, accurate work, well worked up to the period of its publication. It is very full in analyses and sufficiently so in notices of localities. Naumann's system of crystallography and crystallographic notation are adopted throughout, and under each species, the system of crystallization with the notation of the common forms are mentioned; but few angles are given and figures are but sparingly introduced. The classification is a mixed system approaching in its general features that of Mohs" [AJS Review].
Bibliographical references: American Journal of Science: 2nd Series, 8 (1849), 159. • BMC: 3, 1432. • Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 78. • NUC: 418, 356-7.
2. English, 1858 [2nd edition].
Elements | of | Mineralogy; | containing | a General Introduction to the Science, | with Descriptions of the Species. | Reprinted from the | Eighth Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. | By | James Nicol, F.R.S.E., F.G.S., |Professor of Natural History in Marishal College and | University of Aberdeen. | Illustrated by Numerous Woodcuts. | Edinburgh: | Adam and Charles Black. | MDCCCLVIII.
8°: [i]-vi, [1]-346, 8 Publisher's catalog p., 257 woodcut illus., index of simple minerals. Page size: 173 x 104 mm.
Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso "Printed by Neill and Company, Edinburgh."; [iii]-iv, "Preface."-dated January 1, 1858.; [v]-vi, "Contents."; Errata slip tipped in between pages vi & [1]; [1]-2, Introduction.; [3]-111, "Part I. Terminology."; [112]-336, "Part II. Description of Mineral Species."; [337]-346, "Index of Simple Minerals."; [1]-8, "Educational Works published by Adam and Charles Black."
Very scarce. The first portion contains basic accounts of the forms of minerals, their physical and chemical properties, and various classification schemes, while the second is a descriptive mineralogy. Nicol choose the system of Christian Samuel Weiss as his foundation.
3. English, 1873 [3rd edition].
Elements | of | Mineralogy | containing | a General Introduction to the Science, | with Descriptions of the Species | by | James Nicol, F.R.S.E., F.G.S., | Professor of Natural History in the University of Aberdeen | Second Edition | Illustrated by Numerous Woodcuts | Edinburgh | Adam and Charles Black | 1873.
8°: π4 B-Y8 χ4: 176l.; [i]-viii, [1]-336, [1]-8 p., 278 illus. Page size: 185 x 122 mm.
Contents: [i-ii], Title page, verso "Printed by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh."; [iii]-v, "Preface."-dated July 12, 1873.; [vi], Blank.; [vii]-viii, "Contents."; [1]-2, "Mineralogy."; [3]-102, "Part I.-Terminology."; [103]-326, "Part II. Description of Mineral Species."; [327]-336, "Index of Simple Minerals."; [1]-8, Publisher's list with extended descriptions.
Very scarce. The Elements of Mineralogy is a thorough, accurate work, well worked up to the period of its publication. It is very full in analyses and sufficiently so in notices of localities. Naumann's system of crystallography and crystallographic notation are adopted throughout, and under each species, the system of crystallization with the notation of the common forms are mentioned; but few angles are given and figures are but sparingly introduced. The classification is a mixed system approaching in its general features that of Mohs.
Bibliographical references: BMC: 3, 1432. • NUC: 418, 356-7.
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