One of the greatest stories of world exploration ever told. By the late eighteenth century, the river Niger was a 2,000-year-old two-part geographical problem. Solving it would advance European knowledge of Africa, provide a route to commercial opportunity and help eradicate the evil of slavery. Mungo Park achieved lasting fame in 1796 by solving the first part of the Niger problem - which way did the river run? Park died in 1806, in circumstances which are still uncertain, in failing to solve the second - where did the Niger end? Numerous expeditions explored the river in the decades following Park's death, but not until 1830 was its final course revealed following in-the-field exploration. By then, however, the Niger problem had been solved by 'armchair geographers' who had never even visited Africa. Majestic River celebrates Mungo Park's achievements and illuminates his rich afterlife - how and why he was commemorated long after his death. It is also the thrilling story of the many expeditions that sought to determine the Niger's course and the facts of Park's disappearance, as well as a biography of the Niger itself as the river slowly took shape in the European imagination.

Space and time on earth are regulated by the prime meridian, 0 Degrees, which is, by convention, based at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. But the meridian's location in southeast London is not a simple legacy of Britain's imperial past. Before the nineteenth century, more than twenty-five different prime meridians were in use around the world, including Paris, Beijing, Greenwich, Washington, and the location traditional in Europe since Ptolemy, the Canary Islands. Charles Withers explains how the choice of Greenwich to mark 0 Degrees longitude solved complex problems of global measurement that had engaged geographers, astronomers, and mariners since ancient times. Withers guides readers through the navigation and astronomy associated with diverse meridians and explains the problems that these cartographic lines both solved and created. He shows that as science and commerce became more global and as railway and telegraph networks tied the world closer together, the multiplicity of prime meridians led to ever greater confusion in the coordination of time and the geographical division of space. After a series of international scientific meetings, notably the 1884 International Meridian Conference in Washington, DC, Greenwich emerged as the most pragmatic choice for a global prime meridian, though not unanimously or without acrimony. Even after 1884, other prime meridians remained in use for decades. As Zero Degrees shows, geographies of the prime meridian are a testament to the power of maps, the challenges of accurate measurement on a global scale, and the role of scientific authority in creating the modern world.

Winner of the Saltire Society Research Book of the Year Whilst documents and other written material are obvious resources that help shape our view of the past, maps too can say much about a nation's history. This is the first book to take maps seriously as a form of history, from the earliest representations of Scotland by Ptolemy in the second century AD to the most recent form of Scotland's mapping and geographical representation in GIS, satellite imagery and SATNAV. Compiled by three experts who have spent their lives working with maps, Scotland: Mapping the Nation offers a fascinating and thought-provoking perspective on Scottish history which is beautifully illustrated with complete facsimiles and details of hundreds of the most significant manuscript and printed maps from the National Library of Scotland and other institutions, including those by Timothy Pont, Joan Blaeu and William Roy, amongst many others.

The geography of the book is as old as the history of the book, though far less thoroughly explored. Yet research has increasingly pointed to the spatial dimensions of book history, to the transformation of texts as they are made and moved from place to place, from authors to readers and within different communities and cultures of reception. Widespread recognition of the significance of place, of the effects of movement over space and of the importance of location to the making and reception of print culture has been a feature of recent book history work, and draws in many instances upon studies within the history of science as well as geography. 'Geographies of the Book' explores the complex relationships between the making of books in certain geographical contexts, the movement of books (epistemologically as well as geographically) and the ways in which they are received.

The geography of the book is as old as the history of the book, though far less thoroughly explored. Yet research has increasingly pointed to the spatial dimensions of book history, to the transformation of texts as they are made and moved from place to place, from authors to readers and within different communities and cultures of reception. Widespread recognition of the significance of place, of the effects of movement over space and of the importance of location to the making and reception of print culture has been a feature of recent book history work, and draws in many instances upon studies within the history of science as well as geography. 'Geographies of the Book' explores the complex relationships between the making of books in certain geographical contexts, the movement of books (epistemologically as well as geographically) and the ways in which they are received.

A path-breaking exploration of how space, place, and scale influenced the production and circulation of scientific knowledge in the nineteenth century. Over the past twenty years, scholars have increasingly questioned not just historical presumptions about the putative rise of modern science during the long nineteenth century but also the geographical contexts for and variability of science during the era. In Geographies of Knowledge, an internationally distinguished array of historians and geographers examine the spatialization of science in the period, tracing the ways in which scale and space are crucial to understanding the production, dissemination, and reception of scientific knowledge in the nineteenth century. Engaging with and extending the influential work of David Livingstone and others on science's spatial dimensions, the book touches on themes of empire, gender, religion, Darwinism, and much more. In exploring the practice of science across four continents, these essays illuminate the importance of geographical perspectives to the study of science and knowledge, and how these ideas made and contested locally could travel the globe. Dealing with everything from the local spaces of the Surrey countryside to the global negotiations that proposed a single prime meridian, from imperial knowledge creation and exploration in Burma, India, and Africa to studies of metropolitan scientific-cum-theological tussles in Belfast and in Confederate America, Geographies of Knowledge outlines an interdisciplinary agenda for the study of science as geographically situated sets of practices in the era of its modern disciplinary construction. More than that, it outlines new possibilities for all those interested in knowledge's spatial characteristics in other periods. Contributors: John A. Agnew, Vinita Damodaran, Diarmid A. Finnegan, Nuala C. Johnson, Dane Kennedy, Robert J. Mayhew, Mark Noll, Ronald L. Numbers, Nicolaas Rupke, Yvonne Sherratt, Charles W. J. Withers

Focusing on aspects of the functioning of technology, and by looking at instruments and at instrumental performance, this book addresses the epistemological questions arising from examining the technological bases to geographical exploration and knowledge claims. Questions of geography and exploration and technology are addressed in historical and contemporary context and in different geographical locations and intellectual cultures. The collection brings together scholars in the history of geographical exploration, historians of science, historians of technology and, importantly, experts with curatorial responsibilities for, and museological expertise in, major instrument collections. Ranging in their focus from studies of astronomical practice to seismography, meteorological instruments and rockets, from radar to the hand-held barometer, the chapters of this book examine the ways in which instruments and questions of technology - too often overlooked hitherto - offer insight into the connections between geography and exploration.

This book, originally published in 1988, examines the Highlands and Islands of Scotland over several centuries and charts their cultural transformation from a separate region into one where the processes of anglicisation have largely succeeded. It analyses the many aspects of change including the policies of successive governments, the decline of the Gaelic language, the depressing of much of the population into peasantry and the clearances.

Focusing on aspects of the functioning of technology, and by looking at instruments and at instrumental performance, this book addresses the epistemological questions arising from examining the technological bases to geographical exploration and knowledge claims. Questions of geography and exploration and technology are addressed in historical and contemporary context and in different geographical locations and intellectual cultures. The collection brings together scholars in the history of geographical exploration, historians of science, historians of technology and, importantly, experts with curatorial responsibilities for, and museological expertise in, major instrument collections. Ranging in their focus from studies of astronomical practice to seismography, meteorological instruments and rockets, from radar to the hand-held barometer, the chapters of this book examine the ways in which instruments and questions of technology - too often overlooked hitherto - offer insight into the connections between geography and exploration.

This book, originally published in 1988, examines the Highlands and Islands of Scotland over several centuries and charts their cultural transformation from a separate region into one where the processes of anglicisation have largely succeeded. It analyses the many aspects of change including the policies of successive governments, the decline of the Gaelic language, the depressing of much of the population into peasantry and the clearances.

Historical geography is an active, theoretically-informed and vibrant field of study within modern geography, with strong interdisciplinary connections with the humanities and the social sciences. The SAGE Handbook of Historical Geography provides an international and in-depth overview of the field with chapters that examine the history, present condition and future significance of historical geography in relation to recent developments and current research. The Handbook is in two volumes, divided across nine parts. Volume One includes commentaries on the history and geography of historical geography, and reviews how historical geographers have considered the appropriation, management and representation of landscape, the changing geographies of property, land, money and financial capital, and the demographic, medical and political analysis of the world's growing and mobile population. Volume Two shows how historical geographers have made significant contributions to geopolitical debates about the relationships between nation-states and empires, to environmental challenges posed by human interaction with the natural world, to studies of the cultural, intellectual and political implications of modern science and technology, and to investigations of communicative action, artefacts, performances and representations. The final part reviews the methodological and ethical challenges of historical geography as a publicly engaged research practice. Part 1: Histories and Geographies Part 2: Land and Landscapes Part 3: Property and Money Part 4: Population and Mobility Part 5: Territory and Geopolitics Part 6: Environment and Nature Part 7: Science and Technology Part 8: Meaning and Communication Part 9: Studies in Practice

Urbanising Britain brings together the work of some of the leading British historical geographers of the younger generation to consider nineteenth-century urbanization as a process, emphasizing the dimensions of class and community. The essays in this collection reflect the increasing use of social science concepts within the field of historical geography, and are organized to follow urbanization from its origins in migration, to its consequences in urban culture and public health. The contributions combine conceptual sophistication with original empirical research to present a series of important and innovative statements about the changing nature of the Victorian city, and reflect the value of a critical theoretical perspective, hitherto absent from much work in this area.

Charles Withers' book brings together work on the history of geography and the history of science with extensive archival analysis to explore how geographical knowledge has been used to shape an understanding of the nation. Using Scotland as an exemplar, the author places geographical knowledge in its wider intellectual context to afford insights into perspectives of empire, national identity and the geographies of science. In so doing, he advances a new area of geographical enquiry, the historical geography of geographical knowledge, and demonstrates how and why different forms of geographical knowledge have been used in the past to constitute national identity, and where those forms were constructed and received. The book will make an important contribution to the study of nationhood and empire and will therefore interest historians, as well as students of historical geography and historians of science. It is theoretically engaging, empirically rich and beautifully illustrated.

Scotland is viewed from the context of the relationship between geographical knowledge and national identity in this study. The author explores new perspectives on Empire, national characteristics and local geographies of science, and advances a previously unexplored area of geographical inquiry--the historical geography of geographical knowledge. The book offers a broad-ranging approach to the subject, and will be of interest to students as well as imperial historians.

Urbanising Britain brings together the work of some of the leading British historical geographers of the younger generation to consider nineteenth-century urbanization as a process, emphasizing the dimensions of class and community. The essays in this collection reflect the increasing use of social science concepts within the field of historical geography, and are organized to follow urbanization from its origins in migration, to its consequences in urban culture and public health. The contributions combine conceptual sophistication with original empirical research to present a series of important and innovative statements about the changing nature of the Victorian city, and reflect the value of a critical theoretical perspective, hitherto absent from much work in this area.

In eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain, books of travel and exploration were much more than simply the printed experiences of intrepid authors. They were works of both artistry and industry - products of the complex, and often contested, relationships between authors and editors, publishers and printers. These books captivated the reading public and played a vital role in creating new geographical truths. In that age of global wonder and of expanding empires, there was no publisher more renowned for its travel books than the House of John Murray. Drawing on detailed examination of the John Murray Archive of manuscripts, images, and the firm's correspondence with its many authors - a list that included such illustrious explorers and scientists as Charles Darwin and Charles Lyell, and literary giants like Jane Austen, Byron, and Sir Walter Scott - Travels into Print considers how journeys of exploration became published accounts and how travelers sought to demonstrate the faithfulness of their written testimony and to secure their personal credibility. This fascinating study in historical geography and book history takes modern readers on a journey into the nature of exploration, the production of authority in published travel narratives, and the creation of geographical authorship - a journey bound together by the unifying force of a world-leading publisher.

Geographers: Biobibliographical Studies, Volume 35 includes seven essays discussing the contribution made to geography by eleven geographers. The subjects include: three British figures, Francis Rennell Rodd (1895-1978) expert on the Sahara; David Harris (1930-2013), a geographer with archaeological interests; and William Gordon East, historical geographer (1902-1998); a Spanish urban scholar, Enric Martin (1928-2012); Mauricio de Almeida Abreu (1948-2011), a Brazilian urban and historical geographer; and two essays on French geographers, one on Jacques Levainville (1869-1932), the other an innovative prosopographical essay on five French authors involved in the monumental Vidalian Geographie Universelle of the early 20th century. In these studies, geography's international dimensions are illuminated and the subject's vibrant history shown to be the result of committed endeavours in the field, in the classroom and in print.

Volume 34 of Geographers: Biobibliographical Studies features eight essays that together demonstrate geographers' diverse scholarly engagement with the practise of their subject. There are two physical geographers (a Frenchman and an Englishman, both geomorphologists), a British historical geographer, a French colonial geographer, a Russian explorer-naturalist of Central Asia and Tibet, a British-born but long-time Australian resident and scholar of India, Pakistan, and the Pacific world, an American regionalist and eugenicist, and a Scots-born long-time American resident, one of the world's leading Marxist geographers and urban theorists. Equally but differently committed to geography's many specialisms, these subjects wonderfully illuminate the vibrancy - and the contradictions - behind the living of geographical lives.

Volume 33 of Geographers Biobibliographical Studies adds significantly to the corpus of scholarship on geography's multiple histories and biographies with eight essays on individuals who have made major contributions to the development of geography in the twentieth century. This volume focuses on European geographers, including essays on individuals from Britain, France and Hungary. These are individuals who have made important and distinctive contributions to a diverse range of fields, including cartography, physical geography, oceanography and urban theory. As with previous volumes, these biographical essays demonstrate the importance of geographers' lives in terms of the lived experience of geography in practise.

This volume of Geographers Biobibliographical Studies brings together essays on four Frenchmen, a Czech, and three Englishmen. The lives of our subjects extend from the late Enlightenment and the era of 'polite science' in Regency Britain to the first decade of the 21st century. These geographers and their studies are linked not only in their regional expertise - from Brazil, French Indo-China to Scandinavia and South Africa - but also by their commitment to the development of geography as a science and as a discipline. Here, in different settings and at different times, we can see how the lived experience of geographers' lives shaped the contours of the subject.

Volume thirty-one of Geographers: Biobibliographical Studies brings together nine essays on leading geographers and their work. With its publication, the cumulative record of geographers' lives and works in GBS exceeds 460 essays. Here, the editors bring forward critical appraisals of six French geographers, and so illustrate the rich traditions of geographical scholarship in that country; of a leading Portuguese figure; a Briton who played a major role in establishing geography in modern New Zealand; and a British woman who pioneered connections between the history of geography in practice and the histories of science and technology. Geographers' lives and geography's making is wonderfully illuminated in international, national and cross-disciplinary context.

The twenty-seventh volume of Geographers: Biobibliographical Studies includes essays covering the geographical work and lasting significance of eight individuals between the late sixteenth century and the early twentieth century. The essays cover early modern geography, cartography and astronomy, geography's connections with late Renaissance humanism and religious politics, 'armchair geography' and textual enquiry in African geography, medical mapping and Siberian travel, human ecology in the Vidalian tradition, radical political geography in twentieth-century USA, American agricultural geography and cultural-historical geography in Japan and in India. In these essays, GBS continues to provide detailed insight into the richness of geography's intellectual traditions and the diversity of geographers' lives.

This is an annual collection of studies of individuals who have made major contributions to the development of geography and geographical thought. The thirtieth volume of "Geographers: Biobibliographical Studies" takes as its subject the contributions of nine individuals to the advancement and enrichment of geographical knowledge. The subjects are drawn from across Europe and the United States of America, from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and include famous names as well as some less well known figures. Each study includes a select bibliography, a list of sources and a brief chronology of the life written about. As with other volumes in the series, the purpose is not to evaluate, but to present individuals and their contributions as they really were and in the context of their time. The emphasis is on the development and spread of ideas and their role in the history of geographical thought. "Geographers Biobibliographical Studies (GBS)" is the world-leading annual serial international publication devoted to the critical biographical assessment of scholars' contributions to geography and geographical knowledge.

Volume twenty-nine of Geographers: Biobibliographical Studies has as its subject matter seven essays covering British and French regionalists, one of the world's leading cultural geographers, a quantitative geographer turned historical geographer and student of geopolitics, a pioneering medical geographer and a leading theoretician of geography's multiple engagements with the urban experience. In their different ways and with reference to Australia, Britain, France, Sweden and the United States of America, all were products of - and direct influences upon - the emergence, strength and thematic diversity of geography in the twentieth century. Geographers 29 thus provides key insight into the shaping of a discipline and of its practitioners in modern context.

This is an annual collection of studies of individuals who have made major contributions to the development of geography and geographical thought. "The Geographers Bio-bibliographical Series Volume 28" includes essays on Dick Chorley, the influential geomorphologist, Charles P. Daly, long-serving president of the American Geographical Society, Marion Newbigin, one of the leading women geographers of the early twentieth century and Peter Heyleyn, early modern humanist, historian and geographical author. "Geographers Biobibliographical Studies" ("GBS") is the world-leading annual serial international publication devoted to the critical biographical assessment of scholars' contributions to geography and geographical knowledge.