Scandinavia Map 1883 Letts General & Statistical Atlas Print - Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Lighthouses, Glaciers

This general and statistical map of Sweden, Norway and Denmark was published in Letts's Popular Atlas by Letts, Son and Company Limited, 33 King William Street, London Bridge, in 1883. The complete edition of the atlas delineated the whole surface of the globe, with many special and original features and a copious index of 23,000 names. The sheet is a colored map, with relief shown by hachures and depths by bathymetric tints, and it shows cities, railroads, lights and lighthouses, forests and woodlands and glaciers. It measures about 34 by 42 centimeters. It is a clear and well-printed sheet. It was one of the more practical atlases of its age, and the firm's name stood for a reliable and affordable reference for the general reader of the day.

The map was made for practical use. Its glaciers, its forests and its lights speak of a region of long coasts and hard weather, and its railways show how the age of steam had begun to link the towns of the north. The tints of the sea, shaded to show depth, give the map a distinctive look among atlas maps of the time. The firm of Letts was known for popular and reliable reference works, and this atlas was a good example of their practical approach to the publication of maps for the general reader. The sheet also repays close reading.

Anyone who enjoys Victorian reference maps, a family with roots in Scandinavia, or a lover of coasts and lighthouses will find a lasting gift here. Another copy of this same 1883 sheet is also in the collection, so you can choose the example whose crops you prefer. Like every print in the collection, it ships unframed and is available in a full range of sizes, from a compact desk piece to a large-format statement print. It would suit a study or a hall. It also makes a good pairing with other maps of the Nordic lands.