Germany IV Austrian Dominions I Bohemia, Moravia, Austria, Styria, Illyria, Croatia, Sclavonia and Western Hungary.
1832 (dated) 16 x 13 in (40.64 x 33.02 cm)
1 : 1760000
This is a beautiful 1832 first edition S.D.U.K. map of Central Europe and the German States including Eastern Austria, Western Hungary, Czech Republic and parts of the Balkan states. Throughout, the map identifies various cities, towns, rivers and assortment of additional topographical details.
After the defeat of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna created The German Confederation to coordinate the economies of these separate but culturally related German-speaking countries. The Confederation acted as a buffer zone between Austria and Prussia, the two largest and most powerful member states. Nonetheless the rivalry between the two powerful states increased until the break out of the Austro-Prussian War. Prussia won the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, which ultimately led to the collapse of the German Confederation. A few years later, in 1871, most of the former Confederation states were folded into the newly proclaimed German Empire.
This map is part of A Series of Maps, Modern and Ancient, issued by subscription. Each folder in the series would contain a set of two maps bound together. The map accompanying this folder, not included here, was of Lake Superior. Original folder includes the names of committee members of the ‘Society’, list of maps previously published, the folder number, which is this case is XXVIII, its contents and the printer and publication details. This map was engraved by J. and C. Walker and issued by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge’s subscriber’s edition folder. The folder at the time was priced at 1 shilling plain or 1 shilling 6 pence colored. Published by Baldwin and Cradock.
The "Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge" was a Whiggish organization founded in 1828 at the instigation of idealistic British lord Henry Peter Brougham. The admirable goal of the Society was to distribute useful information via a series of publications to the English working and middle classes. It promoted self-education and the egalitarian sharing of all knowledge. While closely tied to the London University and publishing houses on the order of Baldwin and Cradock, Chapman and Hall, and Charles Knight, the Society failed to achieve its many lofty goals in finally closed its doors in 1848. Most likely the failure of the Society resulted from its publications being too expensive for its intended lower to middle class markets and yet not large and fine enough to appeal to the aristocratic market. Nonetheless, it did manage to publish several extraordinary atlases of impressive detail and sophistication. Their most prominent atlas consisted of some 200 separately issued maps initially published by Baldwin and Cradock and sold by subscription from 1829 to 1844. Afterwards, the Society combined the maps into a single world atlas published under the Chapman and Hall imprint. In its day, this atlas was unprecedented in its quality, scope, and cost effectiveness. Today Society, or S.D.U.K. as it is commonly known, maps are among the most impressive examples of mid-19th century English mass market cartographic publishing available. The S.D.U.K. is especially known for its beautiful and accurately detailed city plans.
Baldwin and Cradock (fl. c. 1810 - 1860) were London based publishers working in the early to mid 19th century. They are best known for their publication of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge's ground breaking subscription atlas. They also published John Thomson's magnificent New General Atlas from 1814 - c. 1820. In addition to their cartographic corpus, the firm had wide ranging publishing interests in many other areas, including books, broadsides, and an investment in Blackwoods Magazine. They had their offices at 47 Paternoster Row, London, England.
John Walker, Alexander Walker and Charles Walker, known collectively as J & C Walker (active 1820-95), were engravers, draughtsmen and publishers working through the 19th century. They had several offices 47 Bernard St Russel Sq (from 1830 - 1836), 3 Burleigh St Strand (from 1837 to 1840), 9 Castle St Holborn (from 1841 to 1847) and 37 Castle St Holborn (from 1848 to 1875). The firm is best known for its work in conjunction with the maps issued by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge or, as it is more commonly known, the S.D.U.K. However, they also engraved a large corpus of work for the British Admiralty , as well as issuing several important maps of India and multiple issues of the Royal Atlas.
A Series of Maps, Modern and Ancient, 1832.
Very good. Minor spotting. Top right margin shows tears and stains.
Rumsey 0890.054 (atlas edition).