William Playfair and His Graphical Inventions: An Excerpt From the Introduction to the Republication of His Atlas and Statistical Breviary

摘要

Sometime in 1787, just two years before France was plunged into revolution and chaos, the Count of Vergennes delivered a package to the royal court of France for the attention of the king. The gift for Louis XVI had come to Vergennes from Lord Lans-downe, an English politician who was on intimate terms with many in the upper echelons of Parisian society. Vergennes was certain that Louis XVI would be very interested in the contents of the package. The gift was a book written by a young Scottish engineer and entrepreneur who had recently moved to Paris with hopes of making his fortune. His book had been published in London during the previous year and was entitled The Commercial and Political Atlas but, unlike more conventional atlases in this era of great exploration, it contained no maps. It did contain charts, but of a new and unfamiliar variety. Louis XVI, an amateur of geography and the owner of many fine atlases, examined his acquisition with great interest. Although the charts were novel, Louis had no difficulty in grasping their purpose. Many years later, their author, William Playfair, wrote that, [the king] at once understood the charts and was highly pleased. He said they spoke all languages and were very clear and easily understood (Playfair 1822-1823).