This annotated list of selected books on the history of geology comes with all the biases implicit in my selection and annotation process.

• Adams, F. D., 1938, The Birth and Development of the Geological Sciences. Dover. (Despite its age, this survey remains useful, particularly for ancient, medieval and Renaissance science.)
• Albritton, C.C., Jr., 1981, The Abyss of Time. Freeman and Cooper. (This work is relatively accessible examination of how the conception of geological time developed, largely through case studies of individuals; reflects the traditional Anglo-American perspective.)
• Allègre, C., 1988, The Behavior of the Earth – Continental and Seafloor Mobility. Translated by Deborah Kurmes van Dam. Harvard University Press. (An very readable study of 20th century tectonics and geophysics.)
• Burchfield, J. D., 1975, Lord Kelvin and the Age of the Earth. University of Chicago Press, 260 p. (A rather detailed and clearly written treatment of Kelvin’s attack on the geological time scale, and its ultimate resolution.)
• Cutler, A., 2003, The Seashell on the Mountaintop. Dutton, 228 p. (An accessible biographical study of Steno written for a general audience. See Kardel and Maquet for more detail.)
• Davies, G. L., 1969, The Earth in Decay. Elsevier. (A readable and detailed treatment of the problem of denudation and the early study of landforms through the nineteenth century focused on the British Isles.)
• Dean, D. R., 1992, James Hutton and the History of Geology. Cornell University Press, 303 p. (An excellent study of Hutton that includes a close reading of his texts and information on his field studies and contemporaries.)
• Ellenberger, F., 1996, History of Geology, v. 1 – From ancient times to the first half of the XVII century. A. A. Balkema. (This work and the following deal with the early history of geology from a Continental [French] perspective. They are full of lots of useful information although the organization is a bit tough to follow. Includes extracts and summaries of many works.)
• Ellenberger, F., 1999. History of Geology, v. 2 – The great awakening and its first fruits 1660-1810. A. A. Balkema (translated by M. Carozzi).
• Frankel, Henry R., 2012, The Continental Drift Controversy. Cambridge University Press, four volumes (This is the authoritative, well written and thorough history of the controversy; it can be enjoyed in parts as well as in its overall breadth):
  • Vol. 1 Wegener and the Early Debate, 625 p.
  • Vol. 2 Paleomagnetism and Confirmation of Drift, 544 p.
  • Vol. 3 Introduction of Seafloor Spreading, 492 p.
  • Vol. 4 Evolution into Plate Tectonics, 796 p.
• Geikie, A., 1905, The Founders of Geology, 2nd Ed. Dover (reprint), 506 p. (Very opinionated/biased but lots of information – must be used with great care.  Useful to compare this with Zither’s nearly contemporary book.)
• Glen, W., 1982, The Road to Jaramillo. Stanford University Press. (A nice history of the development of the magnetic-reversal time scale).
• Gohau, G., 1990, A History of Geology. Rutgers University (translation by Carozzi and Carozzi). (A general history from a French perspective – mostly insightful, but in places maddening.)
• Gould, S. J., 1987, Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle. Harvard Univ. Press. (A popular and enjoyable discussion of the two alternatives of directional versus cyclic views of Earth history using Burnet, Hutton, and Lyell’s works.)
• Green, M. T., 1982, Geology in the Nineteenth Century. Cornell Univ. Press, 324 p. (Despite the title, this is really an excellent study of tectonic theory through the nineteenth century. Oreskes’ 1999 book is a good sequel.)
• Greene, M. T., 2015, Alfred Wegener: Science, Exploration, and the Theory of Continental Drift, 696 p. Johns Hopkins Press. (New detailed and comprehensive biography of Wegener by a leading historian of geology – highly recommended. Oreskes, 1999, is a good pairing with this one as is the appropriate sections of Frankel.)
• Hallam, A., 1989, Great Geological Controversies, second edition. Oxford Univ. Press, 244 p. (A series of essays that thoughtfully and concisely examine a series of major controversies – here in its second edition.)
• Kardel, T., and Maquet, P., 2018, Nicolaus Steno: Biography and Original Papers of a 17^thCentury Scientist, second edition, 992 p. Springer-Verlag. (New and extensive biography of Steno with new translations of all his scientific papers – thus the length! Cutler is more focused on his geological contributions.)
• Laudan, R., 1987, From Mineralogy to Geology. Univ. of Chicago Press, 278 p. (This thought-provoking and important book examines the central European chemistry/mineralogy tradition that led to Werner’s work, and argues for its central role in the development of geology. It should be read with Rappaport and Porter.)
• LeGrand, H. E., 1988, Drifting Continents and Shifting Theories. Cambridge University Press. (This treatment should be contrasted with Stewart.)
• Lewis, C., 2000, The Dating Game: One Man’s Search for the Age of the Earth. Cambridge University Press, 216 p. (Good study of Holmes and the development of absolute dating using radioactivity.  Wyse Jackson provides a larger perspective on this work.)
• Lyell, C., 1990, Principles of Geology: with an introduction by M. J. S. Rudwick, University of Chicago Press, 3 volumes. (A high-quality reprint with an excellent introduction by Rudwick and a listing of Lyell’s sources.)
• Lyell, C., 1997, Principles of Geology: edited with an introduction by J. A. Secord, Penguin Books, 472 p. (Abridged version that omits much of the third volume. Includes a useful list of contemporary reviews.)
• Mather, K. E. and Mason, S. L., 1939, Source Book in Geology. McGraw Hill (This an the following book contain a great selection of short selections from many early geological works. This one is quite good on the early study of fossils and volcanoes.)
• Mather, K. E., 1967, Source Book in Geology, 1900-1950. Harvard University Press.
• Oldroyd, D. R., 1990, The Highlands Controversy. Univ. of Chicago Press, 438 p. (A delightful look at the controversy over the geological structure of the Highlands and the recognition of thrust faults.)
• Oldroyd, D. R., 1996, Thinking about the Earth: a History of Ideas in Geology. Harvard University Press. (The best single-volume history of geology that I have found for a general overview.)
• Oliver, J., 1996, Shocks and Rocks: Seismology in the Plate Tectonics Revolution. American Geophysical Society (An account by a seismologist who played a key role in development of plate tectonics.)
• Oreskes, N., 1999, The Rejection of Continental Drift: Theory and Method in American Earth Science. Oxford University Press. (The focus is on the pre-plate tectonics rejection of continental drift by American geologists – quite insightful. Greene’s books and Frankel are good pairings with this one.)
• Oreskes, N., 2003, Plate Tectonics: An Insider’s History of the Modern Theory of the Earth, 424p. (Seventeen essays by the leading scientists involved in the development of plate tectonics, along with Oreskes’ introduction. Fun and insightful!)
• Playfair, John (1802) Illustrations of Huttonian Theory. Edinburg. Facsimile Reprint with introduction by G. W. White, Univ. of Ill. Press (1956). (This reprint is readily available. Playfair toned down Hutton’s deism and also made his own contributions to Huttonian Theory.)
• Porter, R., 1977, The Making of Geology – Earth Science in Britain 1660-1815. Cambridge. (A detailed and thoughtful analysis of British earth science during the development of geology. Should be read with Laudan and Rappaport.)
• Rappaport, R., 1997, When Geologists were Historians 1665-1750. Cornell University Press. (This study focuses on the French and Italian naturalist traditions. Read with Laudan and Porter.)
• Rudwick, M. J. S., 1973, The Meaning of Fossils – Episodes in the History of Paleontology. Elsevier. (The title – episodes – accurately conveys the approach used. Very good on how the view of fossils changed through time.)
• Rudwick, M. J. S., 1985, The Great Devonian Controversy. University of Chicago Press, 494 p. (Perhaps the finest study of a geological debate that I have encountered. A real gem to be enjoyed!)
• Rudwick, M. J. S., 1992, Scenes from Deep Time. University of Chicago Press, 280 p. (This book is rather unique in that it examines how pictorial representations of past worlds reflect underlying geological thinking.)
• Rudwick, M. J. S., 1997, Georges Cuvier, fossil bones, and geological catastrophes – new translations and interpretations of the primary texts. University of Chicago Press, 301 p. (Important study that restores Cuvier’s position in geohistory.- new translations with excellent commentary.)
• Rudwick, M. J. S., 2005, Bursting the Limits of Time: The Reconstruction of Geohistory in the Age of Revolution. University of Chicago Press, 732 p. (This book and the next analyze the critical period for the emergence of geology (1780s-1840s) in rich detail with careful consideration of original texts. These are critical books for understanding the history of geology in this period, and delightful to read.)
• Rudwick, M. J. S., 2008, Worlds Before Adam: The Reconstruction of Geohistory in the Age of Reform. University of Chicago Press, 614 p.
• Rudwick, M. J. S., 2014, Earth’s Deep History: How It Was Discovered And Why It Matters. University of Chicago Press, 360 p. (Written for a general audience, this explores how the understanding of “deep time” developed and was influenced by broader societal issues.  Good compliment to Wyse Jackson.)
• Scrope, G.P., 1858, The Geology of Extinct Volcanoes of Auvergne. W. Phillips, London. (This is a revised version of an 1827 book on the Auvergne that influenced Lyell and others. Available in reprint).
• Secord, J.A., 1986, Controversy in Victorian Geology: The Cambrian-Silurian Dispute. Princeton. (A clear and detailed exposition of the classic Murchinson-Sedgewick dispute over the Camrbian-Silurian.)
• Stewart, J. A., 1990, Drifting Continents and Colliding Paradigms: Perspectives on the Geoscience Revolution. Indiana University Press. (Should be compared to LeGrand.)
• Werner, A. G., 1787, Brief Classification of the Different Rocks. Translated from German by Alex. Ospovat (1970), Hafner. (This is one of the few of Werner works that survives. The commentary is very useful and clarifies Werner’s ideas. Laudan is a useful complementary work.)
• Winchester, S., 2001, The Map That Changed the World. Harper-Collins, 329 p. (A well-written book on William Smith and his map that is suitable for a general audience.)
• Wood, R. M., 1985, The Dark Side of the Earth – The Battle for the Earth Sciences: 1800-1980. Allen & Unwin. (The work is very useful in understanding the development of geophysics despite its occasional bias against geology. I would supplment the section on plate tectonics with other authors.)
• Wyse Jackson, P. N., 2006, Chronologers’ Quest: The Search for the Age of the Earth. Cambridge University Press, 310 p. (Solid history of attempts to quantify geological time.  Read with Rudwick (2015), Lewis, and Burchfield.)
• Zittel, K. von, 1901, History of Geology and Paleontology. Translation by M. M. Ogilvie-Gordon, reprinted in 1962, J. Cramer, Weinheim. (Very thorough presentation from a Continental perspective that is more reliable than Geike. English translation is abridged.)

And finally, just for fun…

• Craig, G. Y., and Jones, E. J., 1982, A Geological Miscellany. Princeton University Press (Humorous to miserable geological experiences of the ages – a real treat).
• Hazen, R.M., 1982, The Poetry of Geology. Allen and Unwin (18th and 19th Cent. poems).

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