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.

Early and very detailed, steel engraved map of Florida that was published around the time of statehood. The western panhandle, from Apalachicola to the Perdido River, is shown in an inset on the same scale. South Florida is virtually empty of settlement, but is bisected by a long Passage for small boats across the Everglades as reported by the Indians. Central Florida which was identified as Seminole Indians land on earlier editions of this map is now occupied by Hillsborough, Manatee, and Brevard counties. Lake Okeechobee is now correctly placed. The map is accurate for 1859, with the newly organized counties of Suwanee and New River in northern Florida. Engraved by J. & C. Walker and published by Edward Stanford.

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Condition: B+

Original outline color with light toning and scattered foxing. There is a tiny tear in the right blank margin that has been closed on verso with archival tape.