Description
Has a sticker on the inside from West Point military academy with a cadet name (class of 1957). Hardcover is well-worn and has one dent and tear in the spine. But the pages are all clean and unmarked. The binding is secure.
This 1956 ninth edition of Goode’s World Atlas is a fascinating artifact from a pivotal era in world history. Published just over a decade after the end of World War II, it captures the globe at the dawn of the Cold War period, when geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union were rapidly escalating. As an atlas used by a West Point cadet, this copy offers a unique window into how future military leaders were being trained to understand the world’s geography and strategic landscape during this volatile time.
While the well-worn condition and dented spine speak to its years of use, the unmarked pages suggest this atlas was treated with care, perhaps cherished as an essential reference tool. For collectors, the West Point provenance lends an air of history and significance, connecting this book to the prestigious military academy that has produced countless influential figures over its storied past.
Beyond its specific provenance, Goode’s World Atlas holds importance as one of the most renowned and longest-running atlas series, with editions dating back to the 19th century. Its detailed maps and data offered an authoritative perspective on the world’s constantly evolving borders, resources, and demographics. This 1956 edition would have captured the widespread decolonization movements reshaping Africa and Asia, as well as the early developments of the Space Age ushered in by Sputnik just a year later.
