Geological museums and their collections: Rich sources for historians of geology

Many millions of geological specimens are contained in geological museums t hroughout the world. These collections, some of which date back to the sixt eenth century, constitute a rich resource for historians of the geological sciences. The utilization of this resource has been uneven, due to a number of factors, including the background of the researcher, and the state of t he collections. In the past two decades major strides have been made in the documentation of collections held in British museums, and compendia, inclu ding those for collections in other countries, are now available. Geologica l collections provide quality primary source material, and can shed light o n a range of interesting topics including the nature and scope of geologica l travels, the often complex relationships between geologists and collector s, and the rationale behind the formulation of geological theories by earli er geologists.