"Australia in 1839", 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.

Crisply engraved map with terrific coastal detail and a virtually blank interior. Major discoveries of Cook, Tasman, and Flinders are identified. Each colony is named and notes the date of establishment, but none have their boundaries delineated save the "Colony of South Australia." Locates the small towns of Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, and Hobart on Tasmania, here Van Diemen Land. The only settlement in the vicinity of today's Melbourne is Cowie on the west side of Port Phillip near today's Geelong. Notation at Port Stephens: "Australian Agricultural Company, Chartered 1824." The population of the whole region is noted as 141,000. A simple, but elegant map with a keyboard style border. Engraved by J. & C. Walker. Published by Chapman & Hall.

References: Tooley (Australia) #1145.

Condition: A

There is light toning in the margins and remnants of paper tape on verso.