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Description

The First Map of Illinois Published in Europe

 nice example of Buchon's early map of Illinois Territory, showing very early county configurations and other interesting details.

Buchon's atlas was the first foreign atlas to include a separate map of Illinois and is one of the very earliest representations of Illinois in any atlas.

Jean Alexandre Buchon Biography

Jean Alexandre Buchon (1791-1849) was a French scholar and historian. Born as the French Revolution raged, Buchon was dedicated to recovering France’s history in order to help the country heal and grow. He gathered French stories and published them as part of Collection des chroniques nationales franciases ecrites en langue vulgaire, du XIe au XVIe siècle (4 vols, 1824-1829). He also compiled and published an exploration collection and several histories, particularly about medieval France.

For geography, his most important contribution was publication of the French edition of Carey & Lea’s American Atlas in 1825. Each page of the atlas includes highly detailed text about the state or territory depicted, as well as a map of the area. The French edition is generally considered in high regard as compared to other editions, as it has quality paper and superior engraving.