Surveyors Of Empire

British imperial power was greatly bolstered by new techniques in surveying and map-making during the eighteenth century. Well before James Cook sailed for the Pacific in 1768, British army engineers working on the coastline from Quebec to Rhode Island had set new scientific standards for cartography that would assist the British in mapping future conquests. Surveyors of Empire explores the groundbreaking work of these engineers, which formed the basis of The Atlantic Neptune, a four-volume hydrographic atlas that stands as a monument of European Enlightenment science. Using research from both sides of the Atlantic, Stephen Hornsby examines the development of British military cartography in North America during and after the Seven Years War, as well as advancements in military and scientific equipment used in surveying. At the same time, he follows the land speculation of two leading surveyors, Samuel Holland and J.F.W. Des Barres, and the publication history of The Atlantic Neptune. Richly illustrated with images from The Atlantic Neptune and earlier maps, Surveyors of Empire is an insightful account of the relationship between science and imperialism, and the British shaping of the Atlantic world.

In this fascinating history of the British surveys of India, Matthew H. Edney relates how imperial Britain used modern survey techniques to not only create and define the spatial image of its Empire, but also to legitimate its colonialist activities. "There is much to be praised in this book. It is an excellent history of how India came to be painted red in the nineteenth century. But more importantly, Mapping an Empire sets a new standard for books that examine a fundamental problem in the history of European imperialism."—D. Graham Burnett, Times Literary Supplement "Mapping an Empire is undoubtedly a major contribution to the rapidly growing literature on science and empire, and a work which deserves to stimulate a great deal of fresh thinking and informed research."—David Arnold, Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History "This case study offers broadly applicable insights into the relationship between ideology, technology and politics. . . . Carefully read, this is a tale of irony about wishful thinking and the limits of knowledge."—Publishers Weekly

In 1763 British America stretched from Hudson Bay to the Keys, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi. Using maps that Britain created to control its new lands, Max Edelson pictures the contested geography of the British Atlantic world and offers new explanations of the causes and consequences of Britain’s imperial ambitions before the Revolution.

Discusses colonies before 1815 including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, and British colonies in the Americas and the events leading to their disolution. Then discusses colonies of the British, French, Dutch, Russians, Portuguese, Belgians, Germans and Americans in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific