Arnold Guyot was a renowned geologist and geographer, whose educational writings revolutionized the teaching of geography to young people during the 19th century.

Today, this geographical textbook by Professor Guyot act as prime examples both of where geography as a discipline stood in the mid-19th century, and of how educational material at the time was arranged and presented to students. The author sequentially examines various countries and continents, detailing their landscapes and climates, and the various activities of the animals and human beings who reside in each locale. Well in excess of a hundred meticulously drawn illustrations, maps and charts compliment the descriptions.

This edition was compiled and arranged by fellow educator Mary Howe Smith Pratt, who explains how these lessons were carefully selected from Guyot's classroom teachings at Princeton University. Each of the chapters is of a length and style optimal to serve as a basis for lessons in the schoolrooms of the time, with the core concepts of geography discussed with evocative examples. The authority of Arnold Guyot was further increased by advancements he spearheaded in American meteorological observations, as well as understandings of glaciers plus a variety of geologic phenomena.