undertook the writing of the first volume or the treaties, Mathematical Description
of the Earth. The second volume, Physisk beskrifning öfver jord-klotet (Physical
Description of the Earth), became Bergman’s task. The third and final volume,
dedicated to the ethnology of human races, was first commissioned to an unnamed
author,
2 but was finally written by Stefan Insulin. Bergman’s book was the first to
appear in 1766 while the other two volumes appeared in 1772. Of the three volumes, Bergman’s book was by far the most popular, and the only to appear in a
second edition.
7.2 Physical Description of the Earth
It was Physical Description of the Earth that was Bergman’s major scientific
breakthrough, and the book received considerable interest internationally. From
now on, Bergman did not have to search for correspondents abroad, but would
instead receive letters from European scientists [20]. These new contacts did not
only lead to exchange of knowledge, an important part was also the exchange of
mineral specimens. This exchange would continue throughout his career, and
analysis of such samples would be the topic of his last original paper. The first
edition of Bergman’s book, 431 pages long, sold out in six months, [21] and is a
very rare book today. The length of the book had to be limited to a certain number
of sheets, and Hjelm claims that each page Bergman wrote was immediately
printed, [22] which might explain why Bergman’s volume was the first to appear.
A second extended and more widespread edition appeared in two volumes
(470 + 535 pages) in 1773–1774 (Fig. 7.2). In the preface of the second edition,
Bergman wrote that “If health and other circumstances do not put insuperable
obstacles in the way, I hope I can one day publish this work in a reasonably
complete form” [23]. This third edition, presumably planned to be written in Latin
to attract an international readership, [24] would unfortunately never be realised.
Bergman’s work still reached European readers [25]. The first edition was translated to German by German mathematician and astronomer Lambert Hindrich Röhl
(1724–1790) and published in 1769. It is a book of 487 pages, containing additions
by Bergman. Apparently, Bergman was not satisfied with this translation, since he
made the Danish translator, Brandt, alerted to its shortcomings [26]. Brandt’s
Danish edition (648 pages) appeared in 1771 with additions by Bergman. The
second Swedish edition also appeared in a German translation by Röhl in 1780 (two
volumes, 387 + 426 pages). An abbreviated German edition (454 pages) appeared
in 1781 and a reprint of the second German edition appeared in 1791. A Russian
translation (possibly by Karamychev) [27] was published in 1791–1794 (267 + 311
pages). From the correspondence between Bergman and Kirwan, [28] its seems like
Kirwan was encouraging British physician and scientist Charles Blagden (1748–
1820) to translate Bergman’s book to English, but he then learned that Franz Xaver
2
Ferner and Ziervogel have been suggested.
86
7 Bergman’s Geological Work
of the Earth. The second volume, Physisk beskrifning öfver jord-klotet (Physical
Description of the Earth), became Bergman’s task. The third and final volume,
dedicated to the ethnology of human races, was first commissioned to an unnamed
author,
2 but was finally written by Stefan Insulin. Bergman’s book was the first to
appear in 1766 while the other two volumes appeared in 1772. Of the three volumes, Bergman’s book was by far the most popular, and the only to appear in a
second edition.
7.2 Physical Description of the Earth
It was Physical Description of the Earth that was Bergman’s major scientific
breakthrough, and the book received considerable interest internationally. From
now on, Bergman did not have to search for correspondents abroad, but would
instead receive letters from European scientists [20]. These new contacts did not
only lead to exchange of knowledge, an important part was also the exchange of
mineral specimens. This exchange would continue throughout his career, and
analysis of such samples would be the topic of his last original paper. The first
edition of Bergman’s book, 431 pages long, sold out in six months, [21] and is a
very rare book today. The length of the book had to be limited to a certain number
of sheets, and Hjelm claims that each page Bergman wrote was immediately
printed, [22] which might explain why Bergman’s volume was the first to appear.
A second extended and more widespread edition appeared in two volumes
(470 + 535 pages) in 1773–1774 (Fig. 7.2). In the preface of the second edition,
Bergman wrote that “If health and other circumstances do not put insuperable
obstacles in the way, I hope I can one day publish this work in a reasonably
complete form” [23]. This third edition, presumably planned to be written in Latin
to attract an international readership, [24] would unfortunately never be realised.
Bergman’s work still reached European readers [25]. The first edition was translated to German by German mathematician and astronomer Lambert Hindrich Röhl
(1724–1790) and published in 1769. It is a book of 487 pages, containing additions
by Bergman. Apparently, Bergman was not satisfied with this translation, since he
made the Danish translator, Brandt, alerted to its shortcomings [26]. Brandt’s
Danish edition (648 pages) appeared in 1771 with additions by Bergman. The
second Swedish edition also appeared in a German translation by Röhl in 1780 (two
volumes, 387 + 426 pages). An abbreviated German edition (454 pages) appeared
in 1781 and a reprint of the second German edition appeared in 1791. A Russian
translation (possibly by Karamychev) [27] was published in 1791–1794 (267 + 311
pages). From the correspondence between Bergman and Kirwan, [28] its seems like
Kirwan was encouraging British physician and scientist Charles Blagden (1748–
1820) to translate Bergman’s book to English, but he then learned that Franz Xaver
2
Ferner and Ziervogel have been suggested.
86
7 Bergman’s Geological Work