UPDATE, 01-07-2011: From Jeff Jardine, the Modesto Bee writer behind this story: "Mr. Vogelzang called this morning to say they're all gone."



87-year-old Pete Vogelzang had reproductions made of a family heirloom, an 1839 edition of "Mitchell's School Atlas." He paid for them some time ago at his own expense, and has 350 copies remaining. He wants to give them to museums, schools and educators.

Sure would be neat if a Boing Boing reader at one such institution were to acquire one, then scan it so the whole world could access it online!

"I just want to see if I can move these things before I die," he says. "I don't want them to end up on the trash heap."

The atlas shows the world as it was just 36 years after the Louisiana Purchase, three years after the Battle of the Alamo, 11 years before California became a state and 22 years before the Civil War began. Most of the southern half of Africa was "Ethiopia, the Unexplored Region," and South Africa was the "Cape Colony." Austria took up most of eastern Europe.

Full story at the Modesto Bee, with more photos of the beautiful old book and the man who wants to preserve it. (Photo: Modesto Bee, Bartah You.)