The Geographic Revolution in Early America: Maps, Literacy, and National Identity (Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American Hist) [Paperback]

Martin Brückner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 080785672X | ISBN-13: 978-0807856727 | Publication Date: February 27, 2006

The rapid rise in popularity of maps and geography handbooks in the eighteenth century ushered in a new geographic literacy among nonelite Americans. In a pathbreaking and richly illustrated examination of this transformation, Martin Bruckner argues that geographic literacy as it was played out in popular literary genres--written, for example, by William Byrd, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Royall Tyler, Charles Brockden Brown, Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark--significantly influenced identity formation in America from the 1680s to the 1820s.

Drawing on historical geography, cartography, literary history, and material culture, Bruckner recovers a vibrant culture of geography consisting of property plats and surveying manuals, decorative wall maps and school geographies, the nation's first atlases, and sentimental objects such as needlework samplers. By showing how this geographic revolution affected the production of literature, Bruckner demonstrates that the internalization of geography as a kind of language helped shape the literary construction of the modern American subject. Empirically rich and provocative in its readings, The Geographic Revolution in Early America proposes a new, geographical basis for Anglo-Americans' understanding of their character and its expression in pedagogical and literary terms.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Convinces the reader of the importance of geography in establishing the mindset that led to continental expansion. . . . Carries conviction."
— Journal of Southern History

"A fascinating study of geographic knowledge and representation in early America."
— Journal of the Early Republic

"A book that contributes very positively to moving the study of maps, mapping and geography beyond the simple antinomies inherent in the study of mapping as a form of oppression."
— American Historical Review

"[The Geographic Revolution in Early America] is a well-written, engaging discussion of the intersections of geography, ideology, and nation-building in early America. . . . Brückner makes an important contribution to the history of geography and reminds us of the importance of geography for the creation of the nation of the United States of America."
— Isis

"A work of tremendous subtlety, combining a broad argument of the central role of geographic literacy in early America with a nuanced understanding. An exemplary piece of scholarship. . . . Theoretically informed as well as empirically grounded."
— Winterthur Portfolio

"Engagingly written and well illustrated, and adds further insight to that range of work on the power of geography, in its various sites, practices, and languages, as a means to national identity. It deserves to be widely read."
— Professional Geographer

"Well produced. . . . A fine book that makes an important case for the role of geographic literacy in the creation of national identity."
— Winterthur Portfolio

"Bruckner not only presents new materials, but suggests how people came to read them. One could scarcely ask more from a work of cultural criticism."
— Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and the Environment

"A vibrant interdisciplinary account of the contribution of geographical literacy to the development of an Anglo-American cultural identity."
Nancy Ruttenburg, New York University

"A cross-disciplinary tour-de-force. Timely, imaginative, and well-written."
David Waldstreicher, Temple University

"This is a groundbreaking study of the intertwined relationships between commodity capitalism and the environment, literacy and ideology."
Cathy N. Davidson, Duke University

From the Inside Flap

The rapid rise in popularity of maps and geography handbooks in the 18th century ushered in a new geographic literacy among nonelite Americans. Drawing on historical geography, cartography, literary history, and material culture, Bruckner argues that geographic literacy as it was played out in popular literary genres significantly influenced identity formation in America from the 1680s to the 1820s. Includes readings of work by William Byrd, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Royall Tyler, Charles Brockden Brown, Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (February 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080785672X
• ISBN-13: 978-0807856727
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #900,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.