Alexander Keith Johnston (cartographer, 1804)
Alexander Keith Johnston (born December 28, 1804 in Kirkhill , South Lanarkshire , Scotland , † July 9, 1871 in Ben Rhydding , Yorkshire , England ) was a Scottish geographer and explorer, engraver and cartographer.
Life
Alexander Keith Johnston attended the University of Edinburgh , intended for the medical subject , but soon turned to geographic studies, learned the art of engraving and the modern main languages, and traveled to almost all countries in Europe as well as Egypt and Palestine.
After his return he began his cartographic endeavors with the publication of his National Atlas (1843), which saw several editions and earned him the appointment of royal geographer for Scotland. In 1850 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . He died on July 9, 1871 in Ben Rhydding, Yorkshire.
Johnston made himself known in the scientific world particularly through the application of physical science to geography. Basing his research mainly on Alexander von Humboldt and Carl Ritter , he published a Physical atlas of natural phenomena in 1848 , an extract of which appeared in 1850 and an expanded edition in 1856.
His popular one followed
- Dictionary of geography (1855, published several times);
- Atlas of the historical geography of Europe and
- Chart of the geographical distribution of health and disease (1852); the excellent one
- Royal atlas of modern geography (1855), his second major work;
- Atlas of the United States of North America (1857) and a series of school atlases and wall maps, some of which saw numerous editions.
His son Alexander Keith Johnston (1844–1879) was also a cartographer and explorer .
literature
- Johnston, Alexander Keith . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 15 : Italy - Kyshtym . London 1911, p. 473 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
Web links
- Literature by Alexander Keith Johnston in the catalog of the Berlin State Library
Individual evidence
- ^ Fellows Directory. Biographical Index: Former RSE Fellows 1783–2002. (PDF file) Royal Society of Edinburgh, accessed December 24, 2019 .
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Johnston, Alexander Keith |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish geographer and explorer, engraver and cartographer |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 28, 1804 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Kirkhill , South Lanarkshire , Scotland |
DATE OF DEATH | July 9, 1871 |
Place of death | Ben Rhydding , Yorkshire , England |