Physical description

A General Natural History
Author: John Hill
Publisher: Thomas Osborne
Date: 1748
Badly damaged light brown hardcover with a damaged spine and lettering in gold. The spine has a Library label with an inscription.

Publication type

non-fiction

Inscriptions & markings

The label on spine cover with typed text R.H. F570 HIL
Paste down front end paper has a sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and Free Library
Front loose end paper has a sticker & stamp from Corangamite Regional Library Service
Flyleaf has a stamp from Warrnambool Public Museum
Handwriting on the lower right corner of paper after flyleaf that reads "From Mr T Christian"
then "Received 27.1.91" (1891) Then the signature "J Archibald"

Summary

A General Natural History is a massive, ambitious three-volume compendium written to survey the natural world. It is divided into three distinct parts, which were published sequentially between 1748 and 1752.
Volume One contains The History of Fossils (1748). Despite the modern name, "fossils" back then referred to anything dug out of the earth. This volume focuses heavily on mineralogy, gemstones, rocks, and minerals, mapping them out based on a microscopic examination.
In Volume Two, A History of Plants (1751), Hill covers botany, describing the appearance, geographic range, and medicinal uses of various native and exotic plants (like the coffee tree, cacti, and various herbs).
Volume Three concentrates on various animals and is called An History of Animals (1752). It's a zoological survey that starts with microscopic organisms before moving on to insects, marine life, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The book focused not just on describing these specimens, but also on outlining their "virtues and uses" in medicine and mechanics.