From Page to Pedestal: Literature in the Age of Collecting: ▬ Travel Literature

This two-volume set was published in installments by subscription, similar to a magazine, and sold from 1779-1779. Middleton synthesizes geography, history, biology, and sociology to present a comprehensive view of the world as seen by Enlightenment Britain. The schema of A New and Complete System is based on a then-current model, with its contents arranged to show the dispersal of humanity from the Biblical Garden of Eden. It is illustrated by a series of 120 plates and proved popular, inspiring several imitators.

First published in 1784, A Voyage to the Pacific was the official account of the third and final voyage of exploration undertaken by Captain James Cook. It consisted of a three-volume set of edited journals. The first two volumes were written by Cook, while the third volume was written by James King after Cook’s death in a skirmish with Hawaiians in 1779. The volumes were accompanied by a set of 64 plates based largely on the work of expedition artist John Webber. Aside from Cook’s sensationalized death, the voyage was known for its exploration and mapping of Australia and New Zealand, which led to the founding of British colonies on both islands.

This is a record of the 1740-44 expedition of George Anson, a British naval officer. While Anson’s mission was to raid Spanish colonies in the Pacific, his route took him on a circumnavigation of the world, exploring Asia and the Americas before his eventual return. The voyage, however, was marked by extreme misfortune. Plagued by terrible weather and disease, less than 200 out of his original complement of 1,900 men returned with him to London. Despite these losses, Anson and his crew were celebrated for the wealth and knowledge they returned with. A Voyage Round the World... became extremely popular among the British public, inspiring later voyages like those of James Cook.

This journal was written by William Seward, a layman who accompanied the early Methodist minister George Whitefield on his travels in the American colonies. Seward, a wealthy stockjobber, helped to finance Whitefield's evangelical tours during the Great Awakening, a resurgence of Protestant belief in 18th century colonial America. In his journal Seward records his experiences of religious life in the colonies and Whitefield's sermons, as well as his difficult voyage back to England. On returning to Britain in 1740, Seward was hit in the eye by a stone thrown by an anti-Methodist mob and died from his injuries.

These issues of popular literary periodical The London Magazine cover the visit of Yamacraw chief Tomochichi to London in 1734. Tomochichi came with a delegation of Creek Native Americans to secure an alliance with the British King George II. Meeting with the king, he secured a treaty that improved the relationship between the Creek nation and the new British colony of Georgia. Mediator between the Creeks and the emerging British Empire, Tomochichi’s visit bridged the gap between the two worlds of Britain and the areas of the world it explored.