Harta geologică generală a României — 23 sheets — Romania geological c1886 map

[Sheets I–XV and XVII–XXI from Harta geologică generală a României—General Geological Map of the Old Kingdom of Romania] A substantial early run of Romania’s first national geological mapping: sheets I–XXIV of the Harta geologică generală a României, lacking sheet XVI, prepared by members of the Biroul Geologic under the direction of Gregoriu Ștefănescu, c.1886–1901. Covering the Romanian Old Kingdom from the Transylvanian and Moldavian frontiers to the Danube delta, the chromolithographed sheets present geology in vivid colour, distinguishing alluvium, Pliocene, Miocene, Eocene, Cretaceous, Jurassic, crystalline formations, granites, serpentines, mines, quarries, mineral springs and railways. Published before the foundation of the Romanian Geological Institute in 1906, the series reflects the young kingdom’s systematic survey of its territory, resources and infrastructure during a crucial period of state-building. Attractive, detailed and seldom encountered in large runs, this 23-sheet group is a highly collectable geological cartographic record.