1856 The Physical Atlas of Natural Phenomena - 2nd Edition
DESCRIPTION
A superb example of a remarkable mid-19th century scientific atlas that presents a comprehensive visual survey of the Earth’s physical and natural systems as understood through the latest scientific research of the era. Through finely engraved thematic maps, it captures the global distribution of geological structures, climates, ocean currents, flora, fauna, and human populations, offering an ambitious attempt to chart the natural world in its totality.
Alexander Keith Johnston’s The Physical Atlas of Natural Phenomena, second edition published in 1856 by William Blackwood and Sons in Edinburgh and London, stands as one of the most ambitious and influential thematic atlases of the 19th century. A new and enlarged edition of the original 1850 work, this atlas was designed to visualize the physical structure and dynamic forces of the Earth using cartographic methods rooted in both contemporary scientific research and elegant visual presentation. Johnston, the Geographer at Edinburgh to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, collaborated with leading scientists of the day, including Heinrich Berghaus, Edward Forbes, Arthur Henfrey, and others, to produce a comprehensive visual synthesis of the known natural world.
The atlas is divided into six thematic sections: Geology and Orography, Hydrography, Meteorology and Magnetism, Botany, Natural History, and Ethnology and Statistics. It contains 35 double-page plates covering subjects ranging from the geological structure of the globe and mountain systems of Europe and Asia, to ocean currents, wind patterns, distributions of plant and animal life, and global patterns of health, disease, and human populations. Among its most remarkable features is the clear integration of scientific data into elegantly engraved maps, such as the Physical Chart of the Atlantic Ocean, the Distribution of Marine Life, and Ethnographic Maps of Europe and Great Britain—each reflecting the Victorian era’s drive to classify, compare, and understand nature and humanity within a global framework.
At the time of its publication, the Physical Atlas was at the cutting edge of both cartography and science. It served as a tool for scholars, educators, explorers, and policymakers who sought to interpret the Earth through visualized empirical data. Johnston’s work influenced subsequent atlases and geographic treatises, and is considered a milestone in thematic mapping. Its synthesis of geography, natural sciences, and social statistics made it one of the most scientifically authoritative and visually sophisticated works of its kind in the 19th century.
List of Map Included within the Atlas
GEOLOGY AND OROGRAPHY
I. The Geological Structure of the Globe
II. The Physical Features of Europe and Asia
III. The Mountain Systems of Europe
IV. Geological Map of Europe
V. Geological and Paleontological Map of the British Isles
VI. The Physical Features of North and South America
VII. Geological Map of the United States and British North America
VIII. Illustrations of the Glacier System of the Alps, and of Glacial Phenomena in General
IX. The Phenomena of Volcanic Action
X. Comparative Views of Remarkable Geological Phenomena
HYDROGRAPHY
XI. Physical Chart of the Atlantic Ocean
XII. Physical Chart of the Indian Ocean
XIII. Physical Chart of the Pacific Ocean
XIV. Tidal Chart of the British Seas
XV. The River Systems of Asia and Europe
XVI. The River Systems of America
METEOROLOGY AND MAGNETISM
XVII. Distribution of Heat Over the Globe
XVIII. Geographical Distribution of the Currents of Air
XIX. Hyetographic or Rain Map of the World
XX. Hyetographic or Rain Map of Europe
XXI. Map of the Lines of Equal Polarisation in the Atmosphere
XXII. Terrestrial Magnetism
BOTANY
XXIII. Geographical Distribution of the Most Important Plants Yielding Food
XXIV. Geographical Distribution of Indigenous Vegetation
NATURAL HISTORY
XXV. Geographical Distribution of Quadrumana, Marsupialia, Edentata, and Pachydermata
XXVI. Geographical Distribution of Carnivorous Animals
XXVII. Geographical Distribution of Rodentia and Ruminantia
XXVIII. Geographical Distribution of Aves
XXIX. Geographical Distribution of Reptilia
XXX. Distribution of Marine Life
ETHNOLOGY AND STATISTICS
XXXI. Ethnographic Map of Europe
XXXII. Ethnographic Map of Great Britain and Ireland
XXXIII. Moral and Statistical Chart of the Distribution of Man
XXXIV. Geographical Distribution of Health and Disease
CONDITION
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