Geographical Fun

Artisan: Ken Blythe
Date: Unknown
Intended Room: Schoolroom
Dimensions: 36 x 29 x 4 mm. / 1 ½ x 1 ⅛ x ⅛ inches (height x width x depth)
Inventory number: 2022.192
Category: Books

Provenance: Purchased from the artist’s daughter and son-in-law, who run The Little Book Company, via eBay, in June 2022.

Published in 1868, this delightful little atlas shows the various countries of Western Europe as anthropomorphic entities. It was a collaboration between two talented people: the witty verses were written by William Harvey (1796-1873), a journalist who went by the pen-name ‘Aleph’; while the inventive maps were the creations of Lilian Lancaster (1852-1939), who drew them at the age of only fourteen. Naturally it had to take its place in our schoolroom, where it will offer a bit of light relief in the children’s geography lessons.