The Universal Gazetteer; Being A Concise Description Alphabetically Arranged Of All The Nations, Kingdoms, States, Towns, Empires, Provinces, Cities, Oceans, Seas, Harbours, Rivers, Lakes, Canals, Mountains, Capes etc. In The Known World; The Government, Manners and Religion, Of The Inhabitants, With The Extent, Boundaries, And Natural Productions, Manufactures and Curiosities Of The Different Countries. Containing Several Thousand Places Not To Be Met With Any Similar Gazetteer.
Illustrated With Fourteen Maps
By John Walker
Printed For F.C. and J. Rivington: London 1822 7th Edition
Stunning Original Leather Bindings - All Fourteen Maps Are Present - Reference To Sydney Cove
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This substantial early-nineteenth-century reference work represents one of the most ambitious geographical compilations of its era, offering an alphabetically arranged survey of the known world as understood in the decades following the great age of exploration. John Walker's Universal Gazetteer brings together political geography, physical description, and social observation, detailing nations, kingdoms, provinces, cities, rivers, seas, mountains, and remote settlements with a breadth intended to surpass earlier gazetteers. The text reflects contemporary European knowledge at a pivotal moment, when imperial expansion, global trade, and scientific cartography were rapidly reshaping worldviews.
Beyond place names and boundaries, Walker devotes considerable attention to the government, manners, religion, and everyday character of the inhabitants of different regions, as well as to natural productions, manufactures, and notable curiosities. The work is designed not merely as a geographical index but as a practical and intellectual companion for scholars, travellers, and informed readers seeking to understand how the world functioned socially, politically, and economically. Its claim to include "several thousand places not to be met with any similar gazetteer" underscores both its scholarly ambition and its usefulness as a comprehensive reference.
This seventh edition of 1822 is handsomely presented in its original leather binding and is illustrated with fourteen engraved folding maps, all present, providing visual context that significantly enhances the text. Such complete examples are increasingly difficult to source, particularly in attractive original bindings with all maps intact. A handsome and historically important reference volume that would appeal to collectors of early atlases and gazetteers, scholars of historical geography, and admirers of early nineteenth-century cartographic publishing."
