This mid-19th century scientific reference book, Introduction to Modern Geography, explains geography and astronomy using the globe of the world as a teaching aid. The inscription connects this book to the Bobinawarrah Public Library but research to date has found no further details about the library. The rural area was settled in 1859, but in 2016 its population was only 87. It is situated about 21 kilometres south of the City of Wangaratta, in Northeast Victoria. In 2024 the local community received a grant for preservation of its almost 100-year-old Bobinawarrah Memorial Hall which displays an honour board of the Pioneers of Bobinawarrah 1859-1959. The donor of the book lived in Warrnambool. ABOUT THE AUTHOR, James Thomson (1786-1849): - James Thomson was a British Irish mathematician. He became Professor of Mathematics at the University of Glasgow. He wrote many school textbooks and reference books, one of which was Introduction to Modern Geography, first published in Belfast in 1827, and revised and published in over 20 more editions. Thomson tutored two of his several children at home. His older son James Thomson (1822-1892) became an engineer and physicist. His younger son William Thomson (1824-1907) became Professor of Natural Philosophy from 1846-1899 at the University of Glasgow, and later the 1st Baron of Kelvin, famous for his designs of nautical instruments such as the navigational compass and sounding equipment used in the transatlantic installation of sea cable. William was part of the firm that became famous as Kelvin & Hughes Ltd., suppliers of radar and echo sounders to the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Defence. The name continued on as Kelvin & Hughes. James Thomson (1786-1849) was a renowned British Irish mathematician and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Glasgow. He was a respected author of many important school books and textbooks that were widely used to provide understanding of arithmetic and geography. Thomson encouraged practical education and held extra classes for young ladies to learn mathematics and geography, which were a novelty at that time. Many of his works were known and used worldwide. This work was published in many editions. It is now considered as culturally significant as a basis for knowledge about our civilisation and has been made publicly available in overseas countries, and republished and reproduced in a readable format, including its diagrams and maps. Book; scientific textbook. The book has a black leather cover. The front cover is blank, but the spine has an embossed gold vertical title within a rectangular border boasting fancy corners. The fly page has a detailed title. The author is James Thomson. It is the Eighteenth edition, published in Simms & McIntyre of London and Belfast in 1845. An inscription connects it to the Bobinawarrah Public Library in Victoria.Spine within a gold border: "THOMSON'S GEOGRAPHY" Fly Page: "AN INTRODUCTION TO MODERN GEOGRAPHY, WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING AN OUTLINE OF ASTRONOMY, AND THE USE OF THE GLOBES. BY JAMES THOMSON, LL.D., PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW." "Eighteenth Edition" "LONDON: SIMMS AND McINTYRE, ALDINE CHAMBERS, PATERSOSTER ROW; AND DONEGALL -STREET, BELFAST.""1845"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, introduction to geography, james thomson, reference book, professor thomson's introduction to modern geography, bobinawarrah public library, james thomson mathematician, james thomson engineer, 19th century irish mathematician, irish presbyterian, william thomson 1st baron of kelvin, professor of mathematics, glasgow university, william thomson professor of natural philosophy, introduction to modern geography, outline of astronomy, use of the globes, james thomson ll.d., simms and mcintyre, 1843, scientific book, school book, lord kelvin, baron kelvin of langs, nautical instruments, marine instruments, transatlantic cable, kelvin & hughes, thomson’s geography, astronomy, geography, world globe, cartography, pioneers of bobinawarrah, textbook