The geologist Richard Dixon Oldham (1858–1936) published the second edition of Geology of India in 1892 for the Geological Survey of India. The work is a thoroughgoing revision of the first edition of the same manual compiled by H. M. Medlicott (1829–1905) and W. T. Blanford (1832–1905), published in 1879. It contains one of the earliest and most important geological surveys of India. Owing to an increase in available data since the first edition, descriptions of the rock formations of the country are arranged chronologically. This edition is particularly important for the data on, and discussion of, the age and origins of the Himalayas. It includes other chapters on metamorphic and crystalline rocks, fossils, vegetation, volcanic regions, geological history, and rock formation. It is a key work of nineteenth-century geology which remains relevant for geologists studying the subcontinent today.

‘Being involved in fieldwork in India myself, I am convinced that reading once more the relevant passages from this book in the field will give an extra dimension to the fieldwork. But I’m also convinced that any geologist with a feeling for the history of geology (or with love for old books) will be able to dream away when reading this book, wherever he or she may be. A lovely work.’

A. J. van Loon Source: Geologos