----------------------------Original message---------------------------- ** John Mitchell's Map: An Irony of Empire ** The Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education is pleased to announce the acquisition of a fourth edition of John Mitchell's map of North America annotated with treaty lines copied from King George III's map in the British Library. We are particularly glad that this significant historical document is now available for the people of the State of Maine. An extensive website focussing on the Mitchell Map has been prepared by Prof. Matthew Edney, Osher Map Library Faculty Scholar. The website contains: a) reproductions of the map; b) a history of the map's publication and changing political contexts, from Mitchell's initial plans in the late 1840s, through the first publication in 1755, to the fourth edition of 1775; c) a clarification of the different (and conflicting) cartobibliographic descriptions of the map (London imprints, only); d) a study of how several different editions of Mitchell's map were used in the peace negotiations between Great Britain and the United States. This also serves as an introduction to the no less than *seven* "red line maps" identified in the nineteenth century; e) an annotated bibliography of the relevant literature. URL: http://www.usm.maine.edu/~maps/mitchell This magnificent map will be on display at the Osher Map Library until January 4th, 1998. Please see the OML home page for details of opening times and for travel directions. This message has been cross-posted to maphist, maps-l, and histgeog. Apologies for any duplication. ----------------------------------------------------------- Matthew Edney Associate Professor (207) 780-4767 Geography/Anthropology fax (207) 780-5310 American & New England Studies [log in to unmask] check it out: http://www.usm.maine.edu/~maps/oml/ http://www.usm.maine.edu/~maps/edney/ Osher Map Library & Smith Center for Cartographic Education University of Southern Maine 314 Forest Ave., Portland, ME 04104-9301 -----------------------------------------------------------