DescriptionScarce First Edition Hand-tinted Map Entitled THE WORLD, Engraved by Sidney Hall - From BLACK'S GENERAL ATLAS: A SERIES OF FIFTY-FOUR MAPS FROM THE LATEST AND MOST AUTHENTIC SOURCES. Engraved On Steel, In The First Style Of The Art, By Sydney Hall. Edinburgh: Black, Adam & Charles, 1840 | Map of the World on the Globular Projection - A fine example of Adam and Charles Black's 1840 map of The World in Hemispheres. This is the very first edition of what became a Victorian institution: Black’s General Atlas of the World. Only the 1840 and 1841 editions were engraved exclusively by Hall. (Starting with the 1844 edition, Hall was joined by Hughes and other engravers) | Approx. Size: Plate Size - Demy folio: 13" H x 17.75" W (33 x 45 cm) | Sidney Hall (1788–1831) was a British engraver and cartographer well known and popular for his early nineteenth century atlases.Provenance: From BLACK'S GENERAL ATLAS: A SERIES OF FIFTY-FOUR MAPS FROM THE LATEST AND MOST AUTHENTIC SOURCES. Engraved On Steel, In The First Style Of The Art, By Sydney Hall. Edinburgh: Black, Adam & Charles, 1840; Adam and Charles Black, North Bridge; Longman & Co.; Simpkin, Marshall, & Co.; Whittaker & Co.; and Hamilton, Adams, & Co. London; and John Cumming, Dublin. M.DCCC.XL. (First edition). Charles and Adam Black (fl. 1807 - present) were map and book publishers based in Edinburgh. Charles and his uncle, Adam, both of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded their publishing firm in 1807. They published a series of maps and atlases throughout the 19th century. In addition to an array of atlases, the Black firm is known for their editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica (1817 - 1826) and the first publishing of Sir Walter Scott's novels in 1854. In 1889 the A. & C. Black publishing house moved to London where it remains in operation to this day.Notes: Sydney Hall, Black's General Atlas: A series of Fifty-Four Maps from the Latest and Most Authentic Sources, Engraved on Steel, In the First Style of the Art, (Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black) 1840. Black's General Atlas was a popular Scottish atlas of the world issued by the Edinburgh firm of Adam and Charles Black. This atlas was first issued in 1840 with subsequent editions being printed well into the 1890s. While most editions were printed in Edinburgh, an American edition was issued in 1857. Most early editions of his atlas were engraved by S. Hall. Typically this refers to Sidney Hall, who died in 1831, but in this case, since the engraving was initiated well after his death, it was most likely his widow, Selina Hall, who did the engraving. Later editions feature additional maps updated and engraved by William Hughes. Early editions featured outline color only, but later editions embraced a full color approach with pale green, yellow, and blue pastels. All editions are known for their meticulous presentation of the most up-to-date cartographic information. Moreover, this exceptionally long publication run provides a fine cartographic record of the middle to late 19th century - particularly as regards the complex cartographic evolution of the Americas through this period.