Offprints

Lyell’s offprint collection held at the University of Edinburgh extends to 22 bound volumes (A5 in size), and 30 archival boxes arranged A-Z into 2 series (A5 and A4 size documents). An offprint is a separate printing of a work that originally appeared as part of a larger publication, usually one of composite authorship such as an academic journal, magazine, or edited book. They are used by authors to promote their work, and so they are often given away, bearing an inscription from the author. This exchange of offprints can be then viewed as correspondence between scholars – and mention of the exchange between Lyell and different authors is noted in his notebooks and in the correspondence series. Additionally, the series of sixteen Index Books (reference Coll-203/ A5 dated 1855 – 1871) appear to relate to the series of 22 bound offprints. These Index Books contain Lyell’s reflections, quotations, and questions, offering insight into his reading and his engagement with the papers.