Compleat Geographer

The Compleat Geographer: or, the Chorography and Topography of all the Known Parts of the Earth, by Herman Moll, was a comprehensive geographical treatise first published in the late 17th century, with the third edition appearing in the early 1700s. This ambitious work aimed to synthesise contemporary geographical knowledge of the world, combining textual descriptions of countries, climates, peoples, and governments with maps and diagrams that reflected the latest discoveries of the Age of Exploration. Moll, a prominent London-based cartographer, enriched the volume with his own distinctive and often decorative maps, notable for their clarity and accessible design. The third edition was printed for Awnsham and John Churchill at the Black Swan in Paternoster Row and Timothy Childe at the White Hart at the west end of St. Paul's Churchyard—well-known publishers of learned and scientific works. As both a popular reference and a serious geographical compendium, The Compleat Geographer represents a significant moment in the dissemination of Enlightenment-era geographical thought to an educated English-speaking audience.