gems, Madagascar, history, geology, geography

Grandidier’s monumental Histoire physique, naturelle et politique de Madagascar presents an extensive survey of Madagascar, bringing together its physical geography, geology, natural history, anthropology, ethnography, history, and political development. Based on Grandidier’s travels and research and subsequently expanded with contributions by other specialists, the series documents the island’s distinctive fauna and flora, its peoples and languages, natural resources, and European exploration and colonization. The work is particularly valuable for its detailed compilation of nineteenth-century knowledge of Madagascar and for the numerous maps, plates, scientific descriptions, and historical sources incorporated throughout its many volumes. For gemological and mineralogical research, the geological and physical sections provide information on Madagascar’s rocks, minerals, and natural resources during the period immediately preceding the major development of the island’s gemstone deposits at the end of the nineteenth century. The mineral grandidierite" was named after Grandidier."