The Geographic Revolution in Early America: Maps, Literacy, and National Identity (Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia)

Book Description

The rapid rise in popularity of maps and geography handbooks in the eighteenth century ushered in a new geographic literacy among nonelite Americans. In a pathbreaking and richly illustrated examination of this transformation, Martin Bruckner argues that geographic literacy as it was played out in popular literary genres--written, for example, by William Byrd, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Royall Tyler, Charles Brockden Brown, Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark--significantly influenced identity formation in America from the 1680s to the 1820s.

Drawing on historical geography, cartography, literary history, and material culture, Bruckner recovers a vibrant culture of geography consisting of property plats and surveying manuals, decorative wall maps and school geographies, the nation's first atlases, and sentimental objects such as needlework samplers. By showing how this geographic revolution affected the production of literature, Bruckner demonstrates that the internalization of geography as a kind of language helped shape the literary construction of the modern American subject. Empirically rich and provocative in its readings, The Geographic Revolution in Early America proposes a new, geographical basis for Anglo-Americans' understanding of their character and its expression in pedagogical and literary terms.

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Essential Reference for All Non-Fiction readers

Fortunately, an updated version is available...

Should be republished

WHY IS THIS OUT OF PRINT??????

I've worn out two sets of these atlases

The Anchor Atlas of World History, Vol. 2 (From the French Revolution to the American Bicentennial)
Hermann Kinder , Werner Hilgemann , and Ernest A. Menze
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | France | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
Revolution | France | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
Historical | Atlases & Maps | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
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The Penguin Atlas of World History: Volume 1: From Prehistory to the Eve of the French Revolution (Penguin Reference Books)

The Penguin Atlas of Modern History : to 1815 (Hist Atlas) (Hist Atlas)

The New Penguin Atlas of Recent History: Europe Since 1815

The New Penguin Atlas of Ancient History: Revised Edition

Concise Atlas of World History

ASIN: 0385133553
Release Date: 1978-04-19

Book Description

This second volume covers key events from the French Revolution to the American Bicentennial. It chronicles the discoveries, battles, inventions, political movements, treaties, elections, births, assassinations, coups, and coronations that have shaped our modern world.

Customer Reviews:

Essential Reference for All Non-Fiction readers.......2005-09-21

'The Anchor Atlas of World History, Volumes I and II' are two references evey intelligent reader should have, as soon as they have gotten their unabridged dictionary. I am a real wonk for maps, and for me these volumes are like a free pass to the candy store.

This piece may really be more of an argument for why you really need these books than any critique, primarily because that for the average book buyer, there is very little with which to compare these books.

It should be no surprise that these volumes are translated from the German, as our continental cousins, especially the Germans, French, and Italians are ever so much better at compiling useful references to scholarly subjects. For some reason, the English and, by example, the Americans seem to have little talent or inclination to take on this kind of work. Although the English, especially the Oxford and Cambridge publishing arms do a very good job at some subjects, especially history.

One of the best things about these volumes is that they are 'pocket sized'. One of the worst things about these volumes is that they are pocket sized. While I really appreciate the freedom they give me from quarto-sized pages which catch on my clothing as I balance them on my stomach while trying to read them, they do have very small maps which, I suspect, were a lot bigger in the original German editions. These picture make the Roman Empire fit in a space not much bigger than my palm. Hispania and Jeruselam were never closer!

History is such a rich subject that it really cries out for some good guide to help you find your way, especially in those periods and lands which seem to be left out of my grammar school curriculum.

To take just two very unhistorical fields as examples, I am listening to music of 15th century from Arab Andalusia. A check of the spread of Islamic expansion up to the time of Columbus shows that it was not so much the Arabs (residents of the Arabian Peninsula), but Islamic northern Africans who probably colonized the Ibearean peninsula, so their music has a lot more in common with Morocco than it does with the Levant. Not that I can really tell the difference between 14th century Moroccan from 14th century Lebanese music, but If I were to explore this further, I would have been spared a few dead ends. Another example is the food of modern Spain which owes almost as much to the Berbers of North Africa as it does to its original Roman colonists or later colonial influences from the Americas and the far east.

In general, there is simply no way one can appreciate the complexities of, for example, the political divisions of central Europe from Charlamagne to Napoleon without a map as you will find in these volumes. And, there is much more here than political history, but I feel the authors have wisely concentrated on political history.

One does not even need the text, and I rarely read it, unless I happen to be looking at a time and place which is totally beyond my ken.

If you read any kind of nonfiction or historical fiction, do yourself a favor and buy these volumes!

Fortunately, an updated version is available..........2004-01-08

This excellent resource is no longer out of print. Penguin is publishing soon in Britain an updated two-volume, paperback version (see the Amazon.co.uk site). A one-volume, hardback French version is already available in Canada and France (cheaper in the Amazon.ca site). In both cases, search for the authors, Kinder & Hilgemann.

Should be republished.......2003-10-23

These enjoyable little pocket books take a Cliff Notes approach to history. In a highly abbreviated text, the authors summarize everything from the Cambrian explosion to the Stamp Act of 1763. No important detail is left out.

Now this level of historical detail is available in many formats. What really sets the Anchor Atlases apart is the superb maps and diagrams. The power structure of Byzantine Rome, the campaigns of Alexander and Hannibal, 16th century Indian internecine warfare, etc., are all finely laid out in easy-to-understand, surprisingly comprehensive, illustrations.

The book's major limitation is it's 1975 publishing date, leaving out not just the past 3 decades of history, but also the significant advances in historical learning that have been made in that time as well.

Nonetheless, wonderfully informative and enjoyable.

WHY IS THIS OUT OF PRINT??????.......2002-12-11

You can't read a history book without these two volumes. You get not only maps but a terse narrative (nearsighted people without their glasses only, please) of everything pivotal that ever happened. How could they take these (in paperback form, very portable, as someone else pointed out) out of print?????

I've worn out two sets of these atlases.......2002-11-01

I have worn out two sets of these atlases. Every time I read a book of history, historical fiction, alternative history, or one with historical references, or watch the history channel, this set of books has allowed me to envision the geographical aspects of what I was seeing or reading. It has satisfied my curiosity on countless occasions. No other historical atlas has been up to this standard. It reports the facts, ma'am, just the facts. Others have included politically correct opinions. I wish I could find another set. It is disappointing to find that they are out of print.

A Battlefield Atlas of the American Revolution

Average customer rating:

Much more than maps
Great Campanion
"In this slim volume"
Ideal for beginners!
the accidental review

A Battlefield Atlas of the American Revolution
Craig L. Symonds
Manufacturer: Nautical & Aviation Publishing Company of Ame
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Revolutionary | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Historical | Atlases & Maps | Reference | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0933852533

Customer Reviews:

Much more than maps.......2006-11-10

Both the casual reader and the serious Revolutionary War aficionado will find this slim volume valuable. For me, it brought to life even the most complicated, multi-fronted battle. The maps are clear with just the necessary elements included. Numbers mark the succession of events that the accompanying text refers to, making even the more complicated situation easy to understand. Few Revolutionary War authors (fiction as well as non-fiction) use maps to illustrate their work so this book is a welcome reference. That alone made it a great find for me but, incredibly, the text that accompanies the maps gives a succinct and accurate account making it good reading aside from its value as a reference.

Great Campanion.......2006-03-03

Recently read David McCullough 1776. Good book but maps terrible. It was difficult understanding Washington's movements by narration alone. Found some internet maps which helped, but still deficient.

The Battlefield Atlas really filled in the gaps. Additionally, Symonds brief write up were perfect supplements to each map. Also great summaries for memory refreshment after reading a dozen pages of detail.

Really recommend this book as a companion to other revolutionary war books.

"In this slim volume".......2005-12-03

OK, one star. MY copy of 'this slim volume' (Author's Intro, p1) is the size of, and seems like, a one hour National Geographic gazeteer of the War. Whole thing reads like a hastily written summary. Everything is terribly diluted and scanty. In my years of buying from Amazon, I've never felt really "taken" like this. Guess the other reviewers don't mind paying $30 for 100 pages. There's much better material that Amazon's got. Buy that, not this. Mine's being donated to the library.

Ideal for beginners!.......2005-10-17

I had tried many times to form a solid idea about the American War of Independence reading a number of books on the subject, but I had never been so satisfied and enthralled as when I finished Craig Symond's excellent atlas. This is the ideal book for beginners on that important 18th century war and the better way to visualize battles and campaigns, since they are connected to specific maneuvers on the ground. The maps are very good (two-color) and the text is short but also very informative. It is an indispensable reference work and I'm glad that I have it in my library.

the accidental review.......2003-12-16

I accidentally pasted my review of Craig Symonds' Gettysburg atlas in this space. I should try to delete the review, but I'll say this... If Symonds' Gettysburg book is any indication, this one will be well worth buying as well.

Atlas of Early American History: The Revolutionary Era, 1760-1790

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Atlas of Early American History: The Revolutionary Era, 1760-1790
Princeton University Press
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Historical | Atlases & Maps | Reference | Subjects | Books

The Historical Atlas of the American Revolution

Average customer rating:

Wonderful maps but needs work
Nice maps...somewhat inaccurate history
terrible book
A Horrible Disappointment

The Historical Atlas of the American Revolution
Ian Barnes
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Atlases | Atlases & Maps | Reference | Subjects | Books

Historical | Atlases & Maps | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0415922437

Book Description

"The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states." (from The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776)

By the mid-1700s substantial differences in life, thought, and interests had developed between the British North American Colonies and the mother country. A distinctly American way of life was rapidly developing. In a few years a new nation would be born and the reverberations from the ensuing conflict would be felt throughout the Western world.

Detailing the entire history of the struggle for independence, from Colonial governments to the early days of the American Republic, The Historical Atlas of the American Revolution uses full-color maps and vivid illustrations in two-page spreads to tell the story of the founding of the United States of America. The book focuses in large part on the land and sea battles of the Revolutionary War, butattention is also paid to the society at large and the international impact of the war for independence.
Coverage includes:

The French and Indian War
George Washington in the West
Native Americans before the War of Independence
Lexington and Concord
Saratoga
Battle of the Chesapeake
Battle of Guilford Courthouse
Battle of Yorktown
Spanish Operations in the South and West
African Americans in the new republic
The Constitution
Foreign Policy after the War
The Emergence of King Cotton

This large, beautifully illustrated, historically authoritative book explores these momentous events in an eminently readable and visually stunning manner. The book's consulting editor, renowned historian Charles Royster, also contributes a foreword. Also includes 70 color maps and illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful maps but needs work.......2006-06-01

For all its many flaws I rather enjoyed this little book simply because there are hardly any books on the revolution that cover as much. Imagine, Americans have hardly much to read for to understand the war that made them a nation.

What little it gives does have informative use.

Nice maps...somewhat inaccurate history.......2001-03-26

I have been looking for a book like this for some time and I was indeed pleased with much of what this one has to offer. However, as mentioned by several other reviewers, the text and the maps often don't seem to go together with the text often omitting information that is displayed on the maps. My biggest problem with the book stems from several glaring errors in the history being presented. For example, the Battle of Fort Necessity is presented in the section about King George's War instead of the French and Indian War where it should be. Also, several maps show errors in locating certain places and events, such as showing Forts Presque Isle and Le Boeuf on maps pertaining to a time period before they even existed. It may not be a big deal, but the little things they get wrong do tend to annoy at times. Otherwise it is indeed a very nicely illustrated book with informative and colorful maps to help visualize the many locations and events presented.

terrible book.......2001-03-02

Just an example of this book's accuracy: a picture of the battle of Bunker Hill shows cavalry as well as uniformed Continentals.

A Horrible Disappointment.......2000-08-21

In the middle of reading a wonderful book on the American Revolution recently (Setting the World Ablaze--Washington, Adams, Jefferson and the American Revolution) I found myself wanting more geographic details than my modern atlas provided, so I sent off for the newly published Historical Atlas of the American Revolution.What a waste of money and fine printing.

The format of the book is generally to have a two-page spread on each topic with copy (plus some inane, barely relevant graphic) on the left and a map on the right. Good idea, bad realization.

The person who wrote the boring, stiff, choppy copy apparently never talked to the person who did the maps. As a result sometimes the words are relevant to the maps and sometimes not. For instance, the spread on Density of Population Settlement has a rambling, oblique discussion of settlement, while the map shows areas settled by 1700, 1740, and 1760. I guess we are to assume that the areas settled the longest are the densest, but that is hardly enlightening. It also shows two mysterious areas to the west of Virginia labeled Vandalia and Transylvania, but there is nary a word in the book about either.

Even when the copy is somewhat germane to the map at hand there are maddening lapses. For instance, the spread entitled King George's War discusses its European causes and events in Nova Scotia, but ignores George Washington and his capture at Fort Necessity (though the map does show it). But this map, and all the others I looked at have glaring omissions. The copy mentions the Mohawk Indians but they're not shown on the map. That might be ok if you knew the Mohawks were part of the Iriquois which are listed. Likewise the Cherokee nation country is mentioned in the copy but not listed on the map; ditto the Ohio Valley. This goes on and on. As I said before, it's like the writer and cartographer never met or talked. A good editor should have straightened that out. Maybe there was no editor. I quit reading after I got to the battle of Lexingon and Concord and the text mentioned, but the map left out, Punkatasset Hill and Harvard College.

Book Description

In these brilliant essays, Ms. Himmelfarb explores the many facets, public and private, of the Victorian idea of morality. She invites us to reconsider the complex and colorful panorama of ideas and attitudes, beliefs and behavior, that goes under the name of Victorianism--and it reconsiders as well our own relation to that much abused and misunderstood culture. An important book. --New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

Magisterial........2005-12-24

In this collection of essays on Victorian (or at least 19th-century) thinkers, as well as on modern conservative thinker Michael Oakeshott, Gertrude Himmelfarb demonstrates that she is one of the best intellectual historians now writing. Every one of these essays exhibits depth of research, high (and high-minded) criticism of figures who, like Bentham and the Webbs, may have sunk to obscurity themselves, but whose ideas linger on. She is by no means a fan of most of those she writes about, but she's not unfair. Indeed, I've long thought Bentham deserved the drubbing she gives him. Admittedly, she in some cases crosses the line into ad hominem, but it's so obvious that it's not pernicious. She clearly distinguishes fact, argument, and personal opinion. I must say that I don't especially like her politics, but she is one hell of a scholar and possessed of a rich prose. One of the best books I've read this year.

Interesting essays.......2000-05-24

This eclectic collection of essays covers Victorian sexual morality, their approach to religion, social Darwinism, utopianism, and politics. The essays are short (none longer than 33 pages), easy to read, and reflect a fantastic depth of understanding. I recommend this book without reservation.

Marriage and Morals Among the Victorians and Other Essays

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Marriage and Morals Among the Victorians and Other Essays
Gertrude Himmelfarb
Manufacturer: Ivan Dee
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O6KJ6U

Marriage and Morals Among the Victorians: Essays

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Interesting essays

Marriage and Morals Among the Victorians: Essays
Gertrude Himmelfarb
Manufacturer: FABER AND FABER
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLN49O

Customer Reviews:

Interesting essays.......2007-08-04

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MARRIAGE AND MORALS AMONG THE VICTORIANS AND OTHER ESSAYS
Gertrude Himmelfare
Manufacturer: Vintage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QA5MAM

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