Rare British Missionary atlas of India, including 10 maps. Styled "new and enlarged edition, the seventh" on the front cover. According to a printed circular tipped in the volume the first edition of the Church Missionary Atlas was published in 1857. By the time of the present edition, the publishers were issuing the atlas in parts (three or four). The first part was on Africa, the second part focused on India (with ten maps), and while the remaining parts "will not be ready for some time," we can note that a third part was eventually published, which was devoted to Ceylon, Mauritius, China, Japan, New Zealand, North-West America, and North Pacific.
In this edition several of maps have been updated, while others appear for the first time:
Of the Maps in Part II., the North-West Provinces, the Punjab, South India, and Tinnevelly, are entirely new, and the rest revised.... new in-set plans added to the Maps of Bengal, South India, and Western India.
The maps include a general map of India, a map of India identifying regional languages, and 8 other regional maps. They were produced by Stanford's Geographical Establishment.
The text focuses on geographical information and historical background, including chronological tables. A particular focus of the text is the history of various missions in India.
The language map of India denotes the three linguistic groups by color, with the accompanying text providing a breakdown of the principal Aryan languages. Also discussed: Hindustani or Urdu. The two other language groups, Dravidian and Kolarian are also described in the text.
Rarity
The atlas is quite rare on the market.
No examples listed in RBH.