No. 3 North [Pacific Ocean]

Steel engraved map of the Pacific Ocean by the SDUK.

Framed to the east by Japan, Australia, and New Guinea; this map shows the vast Pacific Ocean on a gnomic projection. Outdated place names and the partition of Australia provide an interesting look at mid-19th century geography. Examples include the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), Friendly Islands (Tonga) and Ladrones (Marianas). Phonetic spellings of local place names (like Owyhee) are included throughout.

The map was engraved by John & Charles Walker and published by Baldwin & Cradock in London on behalf of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK). The SDUK was a liberal London organization established in 1826 with the aim of providing inexpensive educational material, including maps, to the increasingly literate public of England. It produced several atlases of impressive detail and quality before shuttering its doors in 1848.