Karl Gustav Fiedler: Reise durch alle Theile des Königreiches Griechenland in Auftrag der Königl. Griechischen Regierung in den Jahren 1834 bis 1837.Leipzig 1840-1841. First edition,large 8vo,complete in two volumes,later leather over boards,16 engraved plates including the large (60x40cm) colored folded map by Friedrich Fleischer, the very first geological map of Greece ever printed, text clean and bright, manuscript ownership inscription on front past down of volume one by William St Clair,leading British Hellenist, a fine provenance, overall in very good plus condition. Karl Gustav Fiedler (1791-1853),a German famous geologist, had been employed by the newly established Greek government (by the Αντιβασιλεία) in 1833 to make a complete geologic, miner and environmental survey of the newly independent country.He took the title of Director der Konigl.Griechenland Gebirgsuntersuchng and became a high Greek public officer. He toured all around the country from 1834 to 1837 exploring every corner of continental Greece and every island.As a high governmental official,he had all possible assistance and information from all local authorities,so he was able to gather invaluable material.It was THE FIRST EVER DETAILED SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION OF GREECE His mission was to find the resources,mainly coal, iron, gold, and marble that would fund the bankrupt new kingdom. He is the man who rediscovered the ancient silver mines of Lavrion. He recognized that the slag heaps left by the ancient Athenians still contained valuable minerals, a find that would lead to a massive industrial mining boom in the late 19th century. He provides, in his very lengthy account, detailed travel itineraries full with information about local inhabitants and local economy of every visited places. Volume I includes a massive section on Greek plants. He meticulously documented everything from forest trees to technical plants,for dyes and textiles. The book included the famous hand-colored geolophysical-mining map of the Kingdom of Greece. This was the first modern geological map of the country, showing the rock formations (schist, limestone, volcanic trachyte) of the Peloponnese and the Cyclades. In Volume II, Fiedler provides an extensive study of the volcanic nature of Santorini and Milos, documenting the unique minerals,like obsidian and sulphur, found there. A monumental scientific work which contains the first geological map of Greece