Author Archives: paul

About paul

Paul is the Map Librarian of the Geological Society.

Publishing maps: a cautionary tale

Posted on March 4, 2013

Visitors to the building may notice an addition to the Lower Library – a display about the fortunes and misfortunes of one the UK’s most famous geologists never to be a Fellow, William Smith. Smith’s most celebrated achievement, the first … Continue reading →

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Murchison’s Peacetime Map of Siluria

Posted on November 19, 2012

Sir Roderick Impey Murchison spent much of the early 1830s stomping round Wales and the West Midlands immersed in an oceanic world of metre-long sea scorpions. A world which later gave rise to both leeches and creatures with backbones.  Above the … Continue reading →

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Top 5 less-volcanic lairs for Evil Geologists

Posted on October 23, 2012

Skyfall – the best Bond film ever? We’re not sure, but one thing is certain. You don’t get to be a creditable Bond villain without a proper lair in which to lurk. One year on from our first suggestions, here … Continue reading →

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Early Geological Social Networking

Posted on July 3, 2012

When I imagine the early geological map-makers, I think of men on grand tours, taking geological hammers to prise fragments of rock from exposed strata.  Late at night they’d examine their findings by candlelight, take notes and draw sketch maps, … Continue reading →

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Digitising the map collection: new toys

Posted on October 20, 2011

‘Do you have a digital copy of that map?’  It’s probably the most common question I get asked in the Map Room. Currently our collection is almost 100% hardcopy mapping, collected by Fellows and librarians throughout the 200 years of … Continue reading →

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Top 5 volcanic lairs for Evil Geologists

Posted on October 7, 2011

It’s natural to assume that geologists as a breed, are of good stock.  They are hale, hearty, don’t mind a spot of outdoor activity and most importantly don’t do evil.  However there’s always a bad apple in any given group … Continue reading →

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