A NEW SYSTEM OF MODERN GEOGRAPHY, OR A VIEW OF THE PRESENT STATE OF THE WORLD. WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING STATISTICAL TABLES OF THE POPULATION, COMMERCE, REVENUE, EXPENDITURE, DEBT . . . OF THE UNITED STATES . . . (Spine title: "Morse's Geography.")

Full title - A NEW SYSTEM OF MODERN GEOGRAPHY, OR A VIEW OF THE PRESENT STATE OF THE WORLD. WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING STATISTICAL TABLES OF THE POPULATION, COMMERCE, REVENUE, EXPENDITURE, DEBT, AND VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES; AND GENERAL VIEWS OF EUROPE AND THE WORLD. Paged as i-vi, 9-674 (lacks final Index leaf pages 675-676). Hardcover: H 21.5cm x L 13cm. Contemporary full leather binding; boards rubbed and stained with corners worn; front board's leather peeling back from fore-edge and top edge overlaps along with surface leather loss at top left corner; slightly cocked spine head chipped with heel worn even with text block's bottom edge; vertical furrow to spine affecting maroon title label's otherwise still fairly bright gilt lettering. Front pastedown separating from board; some moisture staining and scattered bug damage with latter most evident to title leaf; past owner L.S. Hemphill's faded antiquarian ink signatures on front free endpaper verso and rear pastedown; toning throughout; in addition to missing aforementioned last Index leaf also missing rfep and probably a flyleaf or two. Binding still firm. Features summaries of states, territories, etc. reviewing geography, demography, rivers, soil, climate, etc. within Unites States section which runs from page 68-224; U.S. section preceded by extensive Introduction and text regarding North America in general, Canada, and Greenland; text on other countries on pages 225-603; "General Views of the United States" on pages 604-649. Various tables amongst text - no maps are present (an accompanying atlas was published separately but not included here). Obviously in 1822 information regarding the American hinterlands was not always accurate; the Mississippi section (pages 172-175) cites that the Lawrence County town of Monticello as being the state capital - Monticello may have been in consideration but Columbia in Marion County was the capital from 1821 before moving to Jackson at the end of 1822 (the capital having been previously bounced between the Adams County towns of Natchez and Washington). Book's early owner was Carroll County, Mississippi resident Lewis Simpson Hemphill (1853-1924) and the book was acquired directly from a descendant's Greenwood, Mississippi estate. Brother of telegraphy pioneer Samuel F.B. Morse, author-compiler Sidney E. Morse (1794-1871) was an inventor, geographer, and journalist with this book following up on earlier geography texts by his father, New Haven clergyman Jedidiah Morse.…