The American Universal Geography; Or, A View of the Present State of All the Empires, Kingdoms, States, and Republics in the Known World, and of the United States of America in Particular... Illustrated with Twenty-Eight Maps and Charts

Boston: Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer T. Andrews, 1796. Third Edition. Full calf. Very good. Third edition of The American Universal Geography by Jedidiah Morse, complete with 28 maps and charts.. Thick octavo, [two volumes], xiv, [2], [17]-808pp; iv, 692pp. Full marbled calf, title in gilt on red morocco label affixed to spine of each volume. Both with "June, 1796" on title page. Stated "Third Edition, Corrected and considerably Enlarged" on title page of Volume I; "Second Edition of this volume" printed on title page of Volume II. Solid text blocks, slight bowing to covers, some wear and a few points of peeling along covers. Light toning to leaves, with usual transference on leaves opposite maps. Complete with 17 maps and 1 plate in Volume I and 10 maps in Volume II, all very good with some toning and a few with short closed tears. Illustrations by Amos Doolittle and Samuel Hill. Includes a map of the world, a plate of the Artificial Sphere (globe), maps of foreign countries, and early maps of the United States, notably: Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. (Evans 30823) (Evans 30824) (Sabin 50926) (Howes M840) A stunning example. Volume I of The American Universal Geography was first published in 1789, with Volume II added to a later publishing in 1793. The 1793 publishing did not contain an edition statement, but it was the first time Parts I and II were released together. This 1796 edition is the third appearance of Volume I and the second appearance of Volume II, as noted on each title page. This set is an improvement on prior editions, with 28 plates and maps included, whereas the 1793 edition included only 11.

Jedidiah Morse (1761-1826) was an American theologian, antiquarian, educator, and geographer. As the United States began to establish itself, Morse saw the need for a proper geography textbook to educate the new generation. In 1784 he published Geography Made Easy, which was followed by the first edition of American Geography in 1789. With annual updates and frequent new editions of his school textbooks, Morse was known as one of the "Fathers of American geography." Morse was also the father of the American inventor Samuel F.B. Morse.