Description
This large physical and political (“Fisico & Politico”) terrestrial globe has extensive physical geography and detailed cartography. Place names are in Italian. It has highly decorative zodiac illustrations on the horizon band.
Guido Cora was a prominent Italian geographer born in Turin, where he spent most of his life. He studied geography at the school of August Petermann, founder of the leading German geographic journal Petermanns Geographische Mitteilungen. Convinced of the necessity of a periodical of this sort for Italy as well, in 1872 he founded the journal Cosmos, which reported on recent notable advances in geography and analogous sciences; it was published regularly until 1896. In 1881, Cora was named professor of geography at the University of Turin. At the VI International Conference of Geography in London in 1895, he was named member of a commission charged with drafting a map of Africa that could supply the European governments precise geographic knowledge regarding the climate and topography of the African territories.
G.B. Paravia & Cia. was founded by Giovanni Battista Paravia in Turin, Italy, in 1802. In the mid 19th century the company was primarily a publisher of textbooks and reference books. In 1873, Innocenzo Vigliardi Paravia expanded the business and began to diversify production, manufacturing other school materials — terrestrial globes, abacuses and blackboards. At the Turin General Exposition in 1884, the Paravia firm’s exhibit included a terrestrial globe two meters in diameter. The firm was run by successive generations of the Paravia family into the 20th century and currently produces textbooks and materials for the teaching of experimental science under the name of Edizioni Scolastiche Paravia.
Cartouche: GLOBE TERRESTRE/ FISICO & POLITCO/ construtto e disegnato/ secondo/ LO STATO ATTUALE DELLE COGNIZIONI GEOGRAFICA/ DAL PROF./ GUIDO CORA/ Direttore … della Societa Geografica de Londre… Della Edit… ce G.B. Paravia e Cia/ I Vigardi/ Roma, Torino, Milano,/ Firenze/ Incico pell Instituto Geografico Guido Cora, Torino…1886
References:
“Notizie: Personaggi.” Treccani: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana. 2002. http://www.treccani.it/iniziative/personaggi_7_13ot.htm (18 December 2002).
“Storia della Casa Editrice Paravia.” Edizioni Scolastiche Paravia. http://www.paravia.it/storiapa.htm (18 December 2002).
