The full title of this famous book is descriptive and informative: Principles of Geology; being an attempt to explain the former changes of the Earth’s surface, by reference to causes now in operation. Underpinning everything is the concept of “deep time,” the idea that vast amounts of time were available in which geological activity shaped the world. Gradual processes could achieve the necessary shaping and construction; catastrophic events were not required.
John Murray in London published the first volume in 1830; the second volume appeared in 1832, and the third in 1833. Charles Darwin took the first volume with him when he set off in the Beagle in 1831; the third volume reached him in Valparaiso in 1834.
The Principleswas a very successful book; 11 editions were published in Lyell’s lifetime and a 12th was in preparation at his death. A facsimile version of the first edition has been published by the Chicago University Press and this benefits from a bibliographical section by M....
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References
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Lyell, C. (1827). Review of: Memoir on the Geology of Central France; including the volcanic formations of Auvergne, the Velay and the Vivarais, with a volume of maps and plates. By G.P.Scrope, London 1827. Quarterly Review, 36, 437–483.
Lyell, C. (1830–1833). Principles of geology; being an attempt to explain the former changes of the earth’s surface by reference to causes now in operation (3 vols.). London: J. Murray.
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Smalley, I.J. (2020). Principles of Geology. In: Shackelford, T.K., Weekes-Shackelford, V.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1281-1
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