[Map of Balnibarbi, Lugnagg, and Glubdrubdrib]

Mapping Gulliver’s Travels.

This somewhat basic copperplate-engraved map provides a rudimentary overview of Lemuel Gulliver’s fantastical travels along the coast of Asia. Adjacent to a sketchy and incomplete outline of the Sea of Korea, Japan, and Hokkaido are labeled the mythical lands of Balnibarbi, Laputa, Luggnagg, and Glubbdubdrib. An interesting mix of real and fictitious toponyms provides for a veneer of believability to the regional geography, which played a critical role in the narrative.

Gulliver’s Travels, written by Jonathan Swift and first published in 1726, is a satirical novel that follows the epic travels of Lemuel Gulliver to whimsical (and sometimes dangerous) lands such as Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and the country of the Houyhnhnms. Beneath the amusing, adventurous narrative, Swift used the story to satirise human pride, social structure, and the exaggerations of popular travel tales. The book was an immediate success and has been adapted to a variety of media, including theatrical performances, films, television, and radio.

This example of the map was rescued from a broken and worm-eaten copy of The Works of Dr. Jonathan Swift Volume II, published in London in 1768. Printed on Fleet Street for C. Bathurst.