COMPARATIVE 



PHYSICAL AND HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY, 



OR THE STUDY OF 



THE EARTH AND ITS INHABITANTS. 



A SERIES OF GRADUATED COURSES FOR THE tSE OF SCHOOLS. 



BY ARNOLD GUYOT. 



Late Professor of Physical Geography and History, at Neuchatel, Switzerland, 

 Author of " Earth and Man t " etc. 



G., K. Sf L. are happy to announce that the above work, ivhich has been undertaken 

 in compliance with the earnest solicitations of numerous teachers and friends ofc/iitcatiun, 

 is in a forward state of preparation. The plan of the author, and the principal charac- 

 teristics of this series may be gathered from the following exposition of the subject : 



A knowledge of the globe we inhabit, whefher considered in itself alone, or in tta 

 relations to man, the distribution of the races of men, and the civil divisions of its sur- 

 face, are subjects of interest too varied, too direct, aud too vital, not to command ths 

 attention, aud excite the sympathy of the mind at every period of life. 



If Geography has been considered a dry and often fruitless study, if indeed, tc 

 teach it with success has been considered as one of the most difficult problems in edu- 

 cation, there is reason to believe that the difficulty lies not in the subject but hi thfl 

 method of teaching it. 



In most manuals the accumulation of facts, and especially the want of an arrange- 

 ment of them, really corresponding to their connection in nature, renders the study 

 difficult, and overburdens the memory at the expense of a true aud thorough under- 

 standing of the subject. Hence there is confusion and a want of clear atid comprehen- 

 sive views, and consequently a lack of interest for the student. For, if the mind seekfl 

 to comprehend, it is only interested hi what appears clear and well connected. To attain 

 to this end it is necessary 



FIRST. To attempt a rigid selection of materials, and to reject from school instruc- 

 tion all details which have but a transient value, and, on the other hand, to render 

 facts of permanent value prominent ; preferring, for instance, the details of Physical 

 Geography and of Ethnography, to those of Statistics, which may find a larger place 

 elsewhere. 



SECOND. To distribute geographical instruction throughout the whole course of edu- 

 cation, so as to divide the labor of learning, and to give at the same time to each period 

 of life the nutriment most appropriate for its intellectual taste and capacity. To this 

 end, the globe should be studied from the different points of view successively ; gradu- 

 ating each view to the capacity of different classes of students. At first, the funda- 

 mental outlines, alone, should be presented, aud next, not only additional facts, but a 

 deeper understanding of the connection, and so on ; and thus, by a regular and natural 

 path, a full and intelligent knowledge of the globe in all its relations, will be finally 

 attained. 



THIRD. The comparative method, recently adopted with so much success in Europe, 

 should always be employed ; for it is by the recognition of resemblances and differences 

 that the mind seizes upon the true characters, and perceives the natural relations, and 

 the admirable connection, of the different parts which form the grand whole ; in a 

 word, gains real knowledge. 



The series hereby announced is designed to meet these wants. It will consist of three 

 courses adapted to the capacity of three different ages and periods of study. The firct 

 is intended for primary schools, and for children of from seven to ten years The 

 second is adapted for higher schools, and for young persons of from ten to fifteen years. 

 The third is to be used as a scientific manual in Academies and Colleges. 



Each course will be divided into two parts, one of purely Physical Geography, tha 

 9ther for Ethnography, Statistics, Political and Historical Geography. Each part will 

 be illustrated by a colored Physical and Political Atlas, prepared expressly for this 

 purpose, delineating, with the greatest care, the configuration of the surface, and 

 the other physical phenomena alluded to in the correspoudivig work, the distribution 

 of the races of men, and the political divisions into States. Each pare with the corres- 

 ponding maps will be sold separately. 



The two parts of the first, or preparatory course, are now iu a forward state of pre- 

 paration, and will be issued at an early day. 



Also, in preparation, by the same Author, 



A SERIES OF ELEGANTLY COLORED MURAL MAPS, 



EXHIBITING 



THE PHYSICAL PHENOMENA OF THE GLOBE, 



PROJECTED ON A LARGE SCALE, FOR THE RECITATION ROOM. 



