SYRIA, From the Dead Sea to Mount Sinai c1843.
$90.00
Syria, with Dead Sea to Mount Sinai. (Syria-Lebanon).
Antique Map engraved on steel in 1842 by W. Hughes, Professor of Geography at the College for Civil Engineers. Printed on 10th January 1843 by Chapman & Hall, 186, Strand, with contemporary hand-colour outlining of countries, and incorporating finely detailed information by Chesney, Robinson, Ainsworth, Burckhardt, Rennell, &c. Published in 1884 under the Superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK).
The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge was established in 1825 with the aim of making good quality inexpensive publications to promote their use in education. Despite these efforts the majority of the working class were not interested in them. They preferred light entertainment and more practical purchases. Henry Peter Brougham (later Lord Brougham) was the main instigator, and became Chairman of the Society, with a very large Committee of eminent people with a wide range of qualifications. SDUK or The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge produced many well-illustrated publications, including Portraits illustrative of The Pictorial History of England in 1840, with some of the finest examples of illustrative portraiture by the best engravers.
This map almost fills the complete page, and was published a little too close to the left edge of the page, so there is little border at left beyond the engraved information of the map's scale. the map has slight age soiling, which is to be expected. "85" in Indian ink at top right indicates the page number for collation of the publication. Size: 41 x 34cm (16 1/8 x 13 3/8 inches).
