Written by geologist and teacher James Bryce, this survey of the geological and natural history of Arran and Clydesdale was produced for the 1855 meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science; the book was first published that year. The third edition, reissued here, was published in 1865.

James Bryce (1806-77) was a Scottish schoolteacher and geologist. His numerous articles on geology earned him a place in the Geological Society of London (1834) and in the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1875). He also campaigned to reform the Scottish universities and for Scottish education to be independent of the English system. In 1855 Bryce conducted a geological survey of Clydesdale and the Isle of Arran for the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS). His findings were published the same year, in this book. Bryce's study records the natural history of the two regions, with descriptions of the geological features encountered on various expeditions in Arran. Bryce also describes the Arran flora, marine fauna, and rare insect life. This book remained the geological authority on Arran and Clydesdale for a long time; the third edition, reissued here, was published in 1865.