[ Andrew Cowper Lawson, Professor of Geology at the University of California. ] Two Autograph Field Notebooks of an American geologist, including notes of Californian surveys conducted with E. F. Davis and A. R. Whitman while studying under Lawson.

The two volumes contain a total of 239pp., 12mo, in ink and pencil, with entries dating from between 29 November 1912 and 28 March 1950. In fair overall condition, with light signs of age and wear. In two Keuffel & Esser notebooks, each in remains of brown calf binding, the first with 'MINING | TRANSIT BOOK | 363' stamped on front cover, and the second with 'Cross Section Book | 375 S'. In manuscript on cover of first volume: '19<...> Dec. | The Psilomelane D | of the Francis <....> | by | Don <...> | Under Prof. A. C. L <...>'. The two volumes mainly consist of rough notes, statistics and diagrams - on samples, deposits, assay returns, extracts, surface workings, stadia shots - relating to geological and mineralogical surveys, mostly in California. The first volume dates from between 29 November 1912 (Fort Baker) and 23 January 1917 (Latouche), and contains doctoral work by the author while a geology student under Professor A. C. Lawson (the identifier and namer of the San Andreas Fault) at the University of California, Berkeley. (Named colleagues in some of these surveys are A. R. Whitman and E. F. Davis, the latter at the time engaged in what was still considered in 1984 as 'some of the most cogently argued, evenly balanced, and thoroughly researched work' on Franciscan geology (M. C. Blake, ed., 'Franciscan Geology of Northern California').) The second volume contains entries written between 5 September 1917 (Hayden Hill) and 28 March 1950 (Yuba Gravel Range, Nevada County). Towards the end of the second volume is a page dated 15 March 1950, and headed 'Work in Court House until 10 AM', perhaps suggesting that the author was by that time employed as a California state geologist (a section of the same volume relating to the Decanso Mine seems to indicate that he was also working as a consultant). The first volume relates exclusively to California, and mostly to the San Francisco Bay Area, with entries on Fort Baker, Marin County; the Robert Friggel Ranch in Livermore, Alameda County; the Lucky Star Mine in Hayden Hill, Lassen County; and Red Rock Island. Other places surveyed in the first volume are: 'Tesla-Carnegie' in San Joaquin County, the Hess Mine in Imperial County, and 'Latouche'. The second volume contains more information relating to the Lucky Star and Hess mines, but mostly concerns: the Descanso Mine, San Diego County; 'Laceiba' [La Ceiba, Honduras]; Little Colorado; 'Cameron Mine' [Deer Lodge, Montana?]; Donner Mine ['North Star Consolidated quartz mine'] in Placer County; Arctic Mine in Canyon Creek, Nevada County; 'Sheba' [Queen of Sheba Mine, Inyo County]; 'Gray Eagle Vein' [Arizona?]; and Yuba Gravel Range, Nevada County. VOLUME ONE: 93pp. The first page carries an index, with the following entries: 'Ft Baker'; 'Livermore' [in text: 'Friggels Ranch | Livermore Calif']; 'Red Rock' ['Red Rock Island']; 'Conn Valley' ['Conn Valley deposit'; 'Conn Valley. | October 18-19 1913. | With Davis; E. F.']; 'Challenger report abstract'; 'Davis' Abstract' ['E. F. Davis's Report']; 'Assay Returns'; 'Tesla-Carnegie'; 'Extracts' and 'Lucky Star Mine' ['January 8th '15 | Hayden Hill | Lucky Star Mine | Sampling']. Headings in text relate to 'Hess Mine' and 'Latouche'. One of the pages relating to Red Rock Island is headed: 'March 22 1913 | with Davis & Whitman | Same voyage. windy & cold'. And one of those on Fort Baker, dated 12 October 1913, has: '(with . K. Campbell).' Another page is headed: 'Conn Valley. | October 18-19 1913. | With Davis; E. F.' VOLUME TWO: 146pp. First page headed: 'Hayden Hill | Sept 5 1917'. Eleven pages on the Descanso Mine, California, dated 19 September 1931, include sections headed 'Water', 'Assays', 'Terms', 'Crosby's Terms' and 'History'. There are four pages of diagrams of Donner (as 'Doner') Mine, Place County, and thirteen pages of diagrams of the survey area of Yuba Gravel Range, Nevada County. (An entry dated 25 March 1950 on 'Yuba Gravel Range | Stadia Shots' is followed by one three days later on 'East Rim Survey Stadia'.) The volume also contains: a seven-page account, dated 9 and 10 August 1929, regarding a journey through San Lorenzo and Lagunillas, Venezula, to La Ceiba, Honduras; several pages in small black print, the first headed 'Arrival at Eucalyptus'; three pages of 'Notes on Coca: | Authority: History of Coca by W. Golden Mortimer'. His Challenger Report Abstract (HMS Challenger) sprawls over twelve pages.