Travel and Exploration

18TH-CENTURY GEOGRAPHY & ATLAS COMPENDIUM A substantial Enlightenment-era geographical compendium, complete with the full suite of 21 folding engraved maps by Thomas Kitchin. This twelfth edition of Guthrie’s ‘Grammar’ represents one of the 18th century’s most ambitious attempts to synthesize global knowledge, blending descriptive cartography with political and economic observations. As geographer to the King, Kitchin provides a sophisticated cartographic program that anchors the text, making this volume both a functional atlas and a primary document of British global awareness at the turn of the 19th century. KEY FEATURES+++ Visuals: Illustrated with 21 folding engraved maps by Thomas Kitchin plus one full-page map and one engraved plate (‘The Artificial Sphere’); complete as called for.+++ Binding: Full contemporary calf; spine in six compartments with a red morocco title label; approx. 8.25 inches tall.+++ Content: A comprehensive global survey including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, supplemented by statistical tables, commercial data, and astronomical sections.+++ Imprint: London: Charles Dilly and G. G. J. & J. Robinson, 1791 (MDCCXCᴀ).+++ Specs: Thick octavo; [4], 6–928 pages; signatures in 8s.+++ Design: Notable production detail with a Table of Contents leaf left untrimmed at the fore-edge and folded inward as issued by the binder.+++ PROVENANCE NOTE: Name at head of title page appears to read: “Wm. Seward’s” (period hand; legibility strong but not fully confirmed) No bookplates present. CONDITION: Overall Grade: Good.+++ THE BOOK: The contemporary full calf binding shows expected period wear, with rubbing to the corners and spine ends and small losses at the tips. The front joint is worn and tender but remains holding. Internally, the text block is sound, though some gatherings are slightly over-opened at the joins. The interior is generally clean with light toning and foxing typical of late 18th-century paper stock.+++ THE MAPS: The 21 folding maps are well-preserved with expected offsetting, no tears and minor handling wear consistent with a reference work of this age. SCHOLARLY FEATURES+++ Enlightenment Synthesis: Represents the transition from speculative geography to the systematized, data-driven classification of the world.+++ Cartographic Pedigree: Features the work of Thomas Kitchin, the preeminent English cartographer of the golden age, providing a ‘snapshot’ of 1791 borders and colonial claims.+++ Bibliographic Variant: Dated 1791 (MDCCXCᴀ), an issue not distinctly separated in ESTC, which records adjacent 1790 and 1792 printings. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —First issued in the mid-18th century, Guthrie’s ‘Grammar’ became the standard geographical text of the English-speaking world. Its success lay in its ‘Commercial’ focus, providing merchants and educators with the statistical and political data necessary to navigate an expanding British Empire. Thomas Kitchin’s involvement is a primary market hook. As ‘Hydrographer to the King,’ Kitchin’s maps were considered the most authoritative of their time. This twelfth edition reflects the peak of the work’s refinement before the geopolitical upheavals of the Napoleonic era redrew the maps of Europe. The survival of the ‘untrimmed’ leaf in the contents serves as a physical record of 18th-century binding practices, where the ‘partially unopened’ state confirms the volume has escaped the aggressive trimming of 19th-century rebinding. SUBJECTS: Geography, Cartography, 18th-Century Books, Folding Maps, Thomas Kitchin, Enlightenment, Commercial History, British Printing, Atlas, Reference Work, Illustrated Literature. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: ESTC N20135 (Variant). less