- Title: GRIECHENLAND
- Author: Johann Georg Heck
- Date: 1851
- Condition: Excellent
- Inches: 10 1/8 x 8 [Image]
- Centimeters: 25.71 x 20.32 [Image]
- Product ID: 308397
Fine map of Greece from the atlas of the Iconographic Encyclopaedia of Science, Literature, and Art. A detailed physical map of Greece, reflecting the 19th-century understanding of the continent's geography. The map visually represents Greece's major physical features, such as mountain ranges, deserts, rivers, and lakes. Major trade winds around the continent are also illustrated. The map is notable for its clarity and precision, serving both as a scientific tool and an artistic artifact, and it exemplifies the Encyclopaedia's mission to systematically document and visualize the world's continents and natural phenomena.
The Iconographic Encyclopaedia of Science, Literature, and Art is a monumental 19th-century reference work originally compiled by German publisher and geographer Johann Georg Heck. First published in Germany between 1849 and 1851 as the Bilder-Atlas zum Conversations-Lexicon, the encyclopedia was later translated into English and edited by Spencer Fullerton Baird, who would become the second Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The American edition, published between 1851 and 1852, consists of four text volumes and two atlas volumes, featuring over 500 engraved steel plates and more than 12,000 individual illustrations. The encyclopaedia covers a vast range of subjects, including mathematics, astronomy, physics, natural history, geography, history, ethnology, military and naval sciences, architecture, mythology, fine arts, and technology, making it a comprehensive visual and textual record of mid-19th-century knowledge.
The illustrations in Heck's encyclopedia are particularly celebrated for their clarity and detail, offering a visually rich resource that has been described as a "visual time capsule" of the era. The plates were printed using the original steel engravings from the German edition, often retaining German labels, and the accompanying text was carefully reorganized and supplemented by Baird to better serve an English-speaking audience. The encyclopedia was well received in its time, praised for its accessibility and breadth, and continues to be valued today for its historical and aesthetic significance. Modern digital editions, such as those created by Nicholas Rougeux, have further enhanced its accessibility, allowing contemporary audiences to interact with and explore this iconic publication in new ways.