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Interesting hand-annotated geological map of the eastern portion of the United States, drawn by an early professor of geography at the London School of Economics.
Professor Sargent, who made the annotations, neatly splits the United States into east and west, coloring in the eastern portion. While much of the stratigraphy is typical, what is particularly intriguing is his heavy-handed black line, which shows the "Southern Limit of Drift." This focus on the extent to which glaciation changed the American landscape is interesting, as this represents a cutting-edge of the geological science which dominated at the end of the 19th century and doesn't often appear on maps.
The display of stratigraphy is particularly attractive. Units ranging in age from Archean to Pleistocene, and the major structures of the east coast can be seen, including the craton in the northern Midwest and the heavily bent patterns of the Appalachian.
Professor Sargent
The map bears various markings of provenance, including a pencil annotation on the verso reading "Tracing's mainly Professor Sargent's work." In addition, below the map, a stamp reads "London School of Economics, Geography Department, Map Room." Finally the bookseller's stamp appears in the lower right (Edward Stanford's London address pasted over their Oxford address).
The link between Professor Sargent and the Geography Department at the London School of Economics allows us to identify him as most likely Arthur Sargent, a professor in commerce particularly interested in international trade. Geology would have been of particular interest at this period, when the ties between geological exploration and the oil industry were just being discovered.
LSE remained nascent when this map was published, having just been founded in 1895. It had been founded by members of the Fabian Society and would join the University of London in 1900.
![(Coast of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas] [To The Members Of The Nautical Institution And Ship-Masters' Society Of The City Of New York, This Chart, Extending From Lat. 40°15 N., Long. 72°15 W., to Lat. 22°35 N., Long. 80°25 W., Is Respectfully Dedicated / By Their Obedient Servant Edmund M. Blunt]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/77294.jpg)
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