Complete set of 21 maps depicting the unveiling of the world

An uncommon set of maps showing the known world gradually appearing from behind obscuring clouds, starting at the Flood of BC 2348 and ending at AD 1828. Among the other snapshots are the Empire of Alexander, the Roman Empire in the Augustan Age, the Empire of Charlemagne, the Empire of Kubla Khan, the Discovery of America, the Restoration of the Stuarts, American Independence and Napoleon's Empire. The maps, engraved by Sidney Hall, are unusual for their use of aquatint (a method of etching a dark grain) to give the clouds a velvety texture.