A monograph of the Crag Mollusca, with descriptions of shells from the Upper Tertiaries of the British Isles. Part I. Univalves. Part II. Bivalves. Part III. Supplement to the Monograph of the Crag Mollusca, with descriptions of shells from the Upper Tertiaries of the east of England. Vol. III. Univalves and bivalves. [Part IV] Second supplement to the Crag Mollusca, comprising testacea from the Upper Tertiaries of the East of England. Univalves and bivalves. [Part V]. Third supplement to the Crag Mollusca, comprising testacea from the Upper Tertiaries of the east of England. [Complete].

London, The Palaeontographical Society, [1848-] 1850-1882. Five volumes in two. 4to (27.3 x 22.0 cm). 912 pp. [xii, 208; 342, 2; xxxi, 231; ii, 58; (ii), 24]; several text figures, 72 [21;31;13;6;1] lithographed plates with explanatory text leaves; one very large, multi-folded chart with profiles. Later uniform brown pebbled cloth with gilt title on the spines. A very seldom-seen complete set of the famous "Crag Mollusca", published in the Paleontographical Society Monograph series, over a very long period. The fine plates and detailed descriptions make this a truly monumental effort written by just a single author, the British malacologist and palaeontologist Searles Valentine Wood (the elder) (1798-1880), except for the small third supplement, which was completed by his son, Searles Valentine Wood (the younger) (1830-1888) and a third British malacologist and palaeontologist, Frederic William Harmer (1835-1923) (see Petit and Boss). Many species were described and figured in this work for the first time. Surprisingly, many have become extinct in the Pleistocene, long before humans made any impression on habitats and climate. Added in photocopy are an interim instruction to the binder's leaf, and a second, slightly different, title to the bivalve volume. Some - mostly light -spotting, mainly to explanatory leaves, also to a few plates. Some offsetting from the plates to the opposite explanatory leaves; a few plates a bit creased in the lower outer corner, and a mostly marginal dampstain to the plates of the first supplement, otherwise a very good, complete copy. Caprotti II, p. 62 [226]; Nissen ZBI, 4454; R. E. Petit & K. J. Boss (1989). Searles V. Wood’s “Monograph of the Crag Mollusca” (1848-1882), with notes on the generic name Astartella. Occ. Pap. Moll. 5(68), pp. 145-153.