"Antwerp. (Antwerpen.) (Anvers.)", SDUK Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge

The beginning of the nineteenth century saw a period of rapid market growth and innovation in the map publishing world. Increased literacy and public interest in new frontiers and colonies overwhelmed the market because it was oriented toward the small, affluent market of the previous century. With the intent to fill this void, The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) was founded in 1828 in London, by Lord Brougham and a group of men dedicated to the education of the aspiring working class and the Utilitarian ideal of 'Knowledge is Power.' The society produced an array of education materials, but the series of maps was one of their most successful ventures. A number of engravers and printers were used to produce the maps, which eventually exceed 200 sheets, and continued to be published after the Society as a whole ceased to function.

Beautiful steel engraved city plan depicting the Citadel and other fortifications, streets, parks and major buildings. Inset "Plan of the Scheldt, & the Forts from Antwerp to Lillo" in scroll at right. View of the Citadel, as seen from the road to Mechlin at top, and plan views of 11 important buildings along the bottom. Published by Baldwin and Cradock.

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Condition: B+

Contemporary color with very light toning and soiling that is mostly confined to the blank margins, and remnants of hinge tape on verso.