To what extent has a North-South divide been a structural feature of England's geography during the last millennium and to what extent has it been especially associated with, and recognized during, particular periods in the past? These are the central questions addressed in this pioneering exploration of the history of a fundamentally geographical concept. Six essays treating different historical periods in time are integrated by their common concern with two geographical questions: first, to what extent is it possible for us to detect a material or tangible North-South divide in England in those periods in terms of regional differences in, for example, population, economy, society and culture; and, secondly, how important was the idea of such a divide to the geographical imaginations of contemporaries? A concluding essay by the editors reviews the social construction of England's geography and history and the significance of the North-South divide as a cultural metaphor.

This 1949 book provides a fully illustrated description, from the field, of all the Roman remains in Scotland north of the Antonine Wall (i.e. the Forth Clyde line). It contains an introductory chapter describing the various kinds of antiquities to be met with in the course of the journey, and the methods of identification on the ground and from the air.

When the experienced Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin (1786-1847) was put in command of an expedition in 1845 to search for the elusive North-West Passage he had the backing of the Admiralty and was equipped with two specially-adapted ships and a three-year supply of provisions. Franklin was last seen by whalers in Baffin Bay in July 1845. When the expedition failed to return in 1848, enormous resources were mobilised to try to discover its fate. In 1852 H.M.S. 'Assistance' was sent to lead another search mission. It was captained by Edward Belcher (1799-1877), who recounts his unsuccessful adventure in this illustrated two-volume book, first published in 1855. Volume 2 covers, and attempts to justify, Belcher's much-criticised decision to abandon four ships in the pack-ice. It also contains Belcher's views on reports of cannibalism among Franklin's crew, as well as scientific observations and a fascinating list of provisions.

Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) was a British botanist and one of the most influential scientific patrons of the eighteenth century. After inheriting a fortune on the death of his father in 1761, Banks devoted his life to studying natural history. His fame following his participation in Captain Cook's epic voyage on the Endeavour between 1768 and 1771 led to his election as President of the Royal Society in 1778, a post which he then held until his death. This volume, first published in 1896, contains Banks' account of the voyage of the Endeavour across the Pacific Ocean. Edited by the great botanist Sir Joseph Hooker, it describes in fascinating detail the peoples, cultures and wildlife Banks encountered in Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia. Banks' aptitude as a natural historian and the crucial role he played in cataloguing and illustrating exotic wildlife during the expedition are emphasised in the work.

The Cambridge Geographical Series originated in the late nineteenth century as a means of providing introductory guides to a broad variety of topics. In this volume, which was first published in 1905, the focus is on the information gathered by medieval Arab, Persian and Turkish geographers, who described the Mesopotamia and Persia, together with the nearer parts of central Asia. The text is consummately researched, quoting from a broad range of sources, and containing numerous maps of the area during different periods. Written with the general reader in mind, this is a highly readable book that will be of value to anyone with an interest in the Middle East or historical geography.

The bibliographer and editor Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838 1917) produced a prodigious number of books and articles on a wide range of topics, literary, historical, bibliographical and artistic. He worked for many years for the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Arts, was a founder member of the Library Association, and produced an edition of Pepys' diary which was not superseded until the 1970s. London Past and Present was published in 1891, expanding and updating Peter Cunningham's Handbook of London of 1849. It is a three-volume topographical and historical dictionary of London places and landmarks, and the people who lived there. Based on historical, literary and architectural sources, it reveals many fascinating details as it traces the development of the metropolis from medieval times to the time of writing. Nineteenth-century London was experiencing rapid change, and this work preserves the memory of many buildings now lost.

First published in 1922, this is the third edition of a 1909 original intended to provide the general reader with an understanding of agricultural resources within the tropics. The book is structured around descriptions of these resources and their potential for future development, numerous illustrative figures are also included. Because the text is written from a broadly colonial perspective, such development is largely seen in terms of an engagement between the modernising influence of dominant states and the 'primitive' environments over which they hold sway. This volume will be illuminating for anyone with an interest in agriculture, botany, or the colonial mindset.

The Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most famous explorers of his generation. Charles Darwin called him 'the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived'. In 1799, Humboldt and the botanist Aime Bonpland secured permission from the Spanish crown for a voyage to South America. They left from Madrid and spent five years exploring the continent. Humboldt reported his findings in a total of thirty volumes, published in French over a period of more than twenty years beginning in 1805. This English translation by Helen Maria Williams of one important component of Humboldt's account, the Relation historique du voyage (1814-1825), consists of seven volumes and was published in London between 1814 and 1829. Volume 2 (1814) contains extensive physical observations of latitude, longitude, weather conditions and ocean temperature recorded during the voyage, and describes the expedition's arrival in Venezuela.

The Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most famous explorers of his generation. Charles Darwin called him 'the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived'. In 1799, Humboldt and the botanist Aime Bonpland secured permission from the Spanish crown for a voyage to South America. They left from Madrid and spent five years exploring the continent. Humboldt reported his findings in a total of thirty volumes, published in French over a period of more than twenty years beginning in 1805. This English translation by Helen Maria Williams of one important component of Humboldt's account, the Relation historique du voyage (1814-1825), consists of seven volumes and was published in London between 1814 and 1829. Volume 3 (1818) describes the mountains, flora and fauna of Venezuela, and its indigenous peoples, especially the Chayma, focusing particularly on their language.

The Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most famous explorers of his generation. Charles Darwin called him 'the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived'. In 1799, Humboldt and the botanist Aime Bonpland secured permission from the Spanish crown for a voyage to South America. They left from Madrid and spent five years exploring the continent. Humboldt reported his findings in a total of thirty volumes, published in French over a period of more than twenty years beginning in 1805. This English translation by Helen Maria Williams of one important component of Humboldt's account, the Relation historique du voyage (1814-1825), consists of seven volumes and was published in London between 1814 and 1829. Volume 4 (1819) describes an earthquake in Caracas (which Humboldt links to the volcanoes of the West Indies), and mountains, plains, hot springs and river systems observed as the expedition travelled onwards.

Peter Kalm (1716-79) was a Finnish-Swedish botanist who travelled extensively to observe the natural world in Sweden, Finland, Russia and Ukraine, and became a professor of 'oeconomie' - the economic application of subjects such as mineralogy, botany, zoology and chemistry - at the university of Turku. Between 1747 and 1751 he set out on a journey through eastern North America to gather specimens, especially from regions with a similar climate to Sweden. Because Kalm travelled though the area when much of it was still unknown to Europeans, this work has some of the first recorded accounts of places such as Niagara Falls. Kalm played an important part in forging scientific links between Sweden, England and North America. This three-volume work details his travels, and was first published in English in 1770-1. Volume 2 gives detailed descriptions of the plants and animals Kalm observes in New Jersey and New York.

John Reinhold Forster (1729 98), a scientific writer and translator of German origin, took part in Cook's second Pacific voyage, from 1772 to 1775, and published this study, which records his examinations of 'nature in its greatest extent; the earth, the sea, the air, the organic and animated creation', in 1778. He drew upon the ideas of 'the most ingenious men of the age' in constructing his observations on natural history and navigation. The first half of the book addresses the physical aspects of the world: earth and land, oceans, global changes and flora and fauna. The second half focuses on the anthropological origins of the people of the southern seas. The book was originally written as a popular travel narrative, and it remains an important publication which will appeal to readers interested in historical geography, zoology, ethnology, astronomy and travel writing.

Joseph Beete Jukes (1811 1869) was a geologist who studied at Cambridge under the famous Adam Sedgwick (1785 1873) and eventually became a prominent member of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. In 1839, after many field expeditions in England, he was appointed to a survey of Newfoundland, a place about which he had until then been in 'utter ignorance'. The explorers failed to find the hoped-for mineral wealth they had been sent to prospect for, and returned to Britain. In 1841 Jukes joined the H.M.S. Fly as a naturalist for an upcoming expedition to chart the coasts of Australia and New Guinea. The Fly set sail for the Pacific in 1842, the year in which this two-volume account of Jukes' Newfoundland experiences was published. Volume 1 describes Jukes' arrival in Newfoundland, its rugged landscapes, and life in the fishing communities of this harsh North Atlantic outpost.

The Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most famous explorers of his generation. Charles Darwin called him 'the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived'. In 1799, Humboldt and the botanist Aime Bonpland secured permission from the Spanish crown for a voyage to South America. They left from Madrid and spent five years exploring the continent. Humboldt reported his findings in a total of thirty volumes, published in French over a period of more than twenty years beginning in 1805. This English translation by Helen Maria Williams of one important component of Humboldt's account, the Relation historique du voyage (1814-1825), consists of seven volumes and was published in London between 1814 and 1829. Volume 5 (1821) describes Humboldt's travels through the Orinoco basin and across several sets of rapids, and the indigenous people, missionaries, animals and plants he encountered on the journey.

The Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most famous explorers of his generation. Charles Darwin called him 'the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived'. In 1799, Humboldt and the botanist Aime Bonpland secured permission from the Spanish crown for a voyage to South America. They left from Madrid and spent five years exploring the continent. Humboldt reported his findings in a total of thirty volumes, published in French over a period of more than twenty years beginning in 1805. This English translation by Helen Maria Williams of one important component of Humboldt's account, the Relation historique du voyage (1814-1825), consists of seven volumes and was published in London between 1814 and 1829. Volume 6 (1826) summarises many of Humboldt's findings about the North-East of South America, its topography and geology, and compares the societies of the mainland with those of the West Indies.

The Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most famous explorers of his generation. Charles Darwin called him 'the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived'. In 1799, Humboldt and the botanist Aime Bonpland secured permission from the Spanish crown for a voyage to South America. They left from Madrid and spent five years exploring the continent. Humboldt reported his findings in a total of thirty volumes, published in French over a period of more than twenty years beginning in 1805. This English translation by Helen Maria Williams of one important component of Humboldt's account, the Relation historique du voyage (1814-1825), consists of seven volumes and was published in London between 1814 and 1829. Volume 1 describes the beginning of the expedition, its departure from Spain, experiments conducted on board ship, and the scientists' arrival in the Canary Islands and exploration of Tenerife.

The botanist and mining engineer John Miers (1789 1879) published Travels in Chile and La Plata in 2 volumes in 1826. The work is an account of his travels and residence in Chile between 1818 and 1825 and his investigations into the cultural, political, geographical and botanical aspects of the country. Richly illustrated with maps and his own drawings, the work is most valuable for the data it contains from Miers' research into the plants and birds he found there, including drawings and descriptions of many species previously unknown to the West. Volume 1 also contains the main travel account of his journey from England to Chile, geographical descriptions of the places he explored there, and an account of his plans and negotiations to build a copper-refining plant. The work is a rich source of botanical information and offers an insight into Victorian perceptions of Chile.

The botanist and mining engineer John Miers (1789 1879) published Travels in Chile and La Plata in 2 volumes in 1826. The work is an account of his travels and residence in Chile between 1818 and 1825 and his investigations into the cultural, political, geographical and botanical aspects of the country. Richly illustrated with maps and his own drawings, the work is most valuable for the data it contains from Miers' research into the plants and birds he found there, including drawings and descriptions of many species previously unknown to the West. Volume 2 also gives an account of Chile's political and economic history; its religion and culture; its trade, agriculture and mining; and contains an appendix listing the plants and animals he examined. The work is both a rich source for geographical and botanical information and offers an insight into Victorian perceptions of Chile.

James Clark Ross (1800-1862) was an explorer who served in the Royal Navy and made his first Arctic trip in 1818 on an unsuccessful mission to find the North-West Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On the basis of his polar experience, he was appointed to lead further expeditions, and by 1839 he found himself on the opposite side of the world in the Antarctic, with Joseph Dalton Hooker as his on-board naturalist. This two-volume account of the four-year voyage was published in 1847. Ross' findings led him to the conclusion that there was life on the sea floor to at least 730 metres, and the work is an important contribution to the development of oceanography and scientific knowledge about the Antarctic. Volume 1 covers Ross' journey from England to the Antarctic Circle, detailing the oceanic and climatic observations made along the way.

James Clark Ross (1800-1862) was an explorer who served in the Royal Navy and made his first Arctic trip in 1818 on an unsuccessful mission to find the North-West Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On the basis of his polar experience, he was appointed to lead further expeditions, and by 1839 he found himself on the opposite side of the world in the Antarctic, with Joseph Dalton Hooker as his on-board naturalist. This two-volume account of the four-year voyage was published in 1847. Ross' findings led him to the conclusion that there was life on the sea floor to at least 730 metres, and the work is an important contribution to the development of oceanography and scientific knowledge about the Antarctic. Volume 2 continues the story of the expedition, which eventually reached 78S, and discovered the deep bay in the southern ocean now called the Ross Sea.

First published in English in 1890, this book by Norwegian explorer and scientist Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) recounts the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, an expedition that took two months. Learning from previous failed attempts, Nansen suggested crossing from the uninhabited east to the inhabited west of Greenland, an innovation that proved successful. Nansen's account was translated by Hubert Majendie Gepp and includes an introduction written by the secretary of the Royal Geographical Society. Volume 2 begins with the party setting out for the west, and includes lextensive descriptions of the climate and encounters with Inuit peoples. The book closes with the party reaching the west coast and journeying home. Volume 2 also includes an appendix of the scientific discoveries of the expedition. Nansen, who later served as delegate to the League of Nations, was awarded the 1922 Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian endeavours.

Major Dixon Denham (1786 1828) and Lieutenant Hugh Clapperton (1788 1827) were British explorers famous for their explorations in Africa. Between 1822 and 1825, they set out to investigate the lower course of the River Niger and the swamps and forests of the Guinea Coast, accompanied by the physician Dr Walter Oudney (1790 1824), who sadly died of a fever during the expedition. This important book, first published in 1826, brings together the memoirs of all three explorers to document their mission, which represented the first complete crossing of the Sahara by Europeans in recorded history. Diverse and insightful, it recounts phenomena such as the transportation of slaves from the Sudan, the salt industry in the heart of the desert, and encounters with native tribes. Providing unique insights into pre-colonial Africa, these vivid recollections remain of great interest to historians of Africa, cultural anthropologists and geographers alike.

The success of the Victorian explorer and missionary David Livingstone's first book, Missionary Travels (1857), led to his receiving government funding in 1858 for an expedition up the Zambezi River. The trip was expected to last two years, and was intended to further commercial and scientific as well as missionary aims. However, owing to internal disagreements, illness (including the death of Livingstone's wife), drought and tribal warfare, the explorers' mission took six and a half years and achieved little apart from collecting plant and geological specimens. The upper reaches of the Zambesi proved unnavigable owing to rapids and waterfalls, and the expedition was recalled. This account, published in 1865 by Livingstone (1813-1873) and his younger brother Charles, who had accompanied him, was in part an attempt to excuse the problems which had beset the expedition, and restore Livingstone's reputation in order to gain backing for further ventures.

John Hanning Speke (1827 1864) was a British army officer and explorer, remembered for his expeditions in search of the source of the Nile and his disputes with Richard Burton on that subject. On an expedition begun in 1856 Burton and Speke reached Lake Tanganyika together, but Speke travelled on alone to Lake Victoria. He controversially gave lectures about the lakes in London in 1859, without awaiting Burton's return. Speke returned to Africa later that year, leading an expedition organised by the Royal Geographical Society, to explore Lake Victoria and investigate whether it really was the source of the Nile. This book, published in 1863, describes the 1859 expedition's challenging and eventful journey through present-day Zanzibar, Tanzania and Uganda, and the indigenous peoples the explorers encountered. Speke made invaluable surveys of the area, but it was only after his death that his views about the Nile were finally proved correct.

Charles Henry Robinson (1861 1925) was a Cambridge scholar who, during the 1890s, published several books on the language, literature and culture of the Hausa people of West Africa. This study, published in 1896, documents his pioneering fieldwork during which, in three months, he travelled 1500 miles across rivers, mountains, villages and towns. Public interest in the Hausa was high at the time, due to their recruitment as troops by Britain in the Ashanti conflict, and by France to consolidate French power in Madagascar. However, Robinson argues against the perception of the Hausa as primarily a warlike people, despite their formidable strength in battle. In this vivid account of his time among them, he portrays the Hausa as successful traders who excelled above all in commercial endeavours. Exploring enterprises from textiles and tobacco to hunting and river transportation, Robinson gives fascinating first-hand insights into this important African community.