Guest post by Tom Sharpe, FGS, geological historian and author of ‘The Fossil Woman A Life of Mary Anning’ (2020). Additional content provided by the Geological Society’s Library team. Dorset fossilist Mary Anning’s 223rd birthday was celebrated in style this year, with the unveiling of a statue of her in Lyme Regis on 21 May … Continue reading
Category Archives: Library
The First Dinosaurs’ Dinner
As I write in the early days of April 2021, we’re about to emerge from lockdown and outdoor dining will resume, hopefully before a measured resumption of some degree of normality. Not all outdoor dining can strictly be called normal. One of the sights on my daily lockdown walks was involved in what has become … Continue reading
A Craniometrist’s Toolkit
Whilst researching my postgraduate degree in 2000s, I became fascinated by the physiognomical pseudosciences which emerged at the end of the 18th century. Originating as parlour game entertainment, by the middle of the 19th century they developed into a much more sinister body of academia which sought to categorise individuals purely based on external physical … Continue reading
Photographs from the Drift
Clive Gamble writes about the discovery of two famous photographs in the Geological Society’s archives. Two of the most famous photographs in the history of archaeology have come to light in the archives of the Geological Society. These are the pictures of the Fréville Pit at St Acheul, Amiens, France, which were taken on the … Continue reading
The Congress that was all but cancelled!
Fifty years ago this week the 23rd International Geological Congress had just started meeting in Prague. Over 4000 geologists were making their way to the capital of Czechoslovakia, which that year seemed to be enjoying a relaxation in the political regime. Although, as the Congress approached, the political situation was becoming more tense, with Russia … Continue reading
Door 23: A Geological Voyage through History 3 – A Plutonic Duel Avoided
Door 12: (Penny) Dreadful Fellows No.2
Door nine: A fossil fish is for life, not just for Christmas*
A christmas present for the geologist who has everything…. Continue reading