Source: ChatGPT 

You’ve picked up a really nice example of a 19th-century educational science book—and one that sits right at the intersection of geography, astronomy, and practical navigation.

Here’s how to understand what you have:

📘 The Book Itself

Title: A New Treatise on the Use of the Globes
Author: Thomas Keith
Edition shown: 1835 (London)
Publisher: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman

This wasn’t a niche academic work—it was a widely used teaching textbook in Britain and beyond, especially in the early 1800s.

🎯 What “Use of the Globes” Means

“Globes” refers to both:

• Terrestrial globes (Earth)
• Celestial globes (stars and constellations)

The book teaches how to use them to solve real problems like:

• Determining latitude and longitude
• Understanding day/night and seasons
• Predicting sunrise, sunset, and tides
• Learning basic astronomy and meteorology

Think of it as a hands-on manual for understanding the universe—using physical globes as computational tools.

🧠 Why This Book Matters

This kind of book was central to education before modern maps and digital tools:

• It reflects a world where navigation and astronomy were practical skills
• It shows how people reasoned spatially before calculators or software
• It blends science + pedagogy + visualization, which fits nicely with your Pixeum interests

Also notable:

• The subtitle emphasizes “figure, magnitude, and motion of the Earth”
• It includes problems and exercises—so it’s interactive, not just descriptive
• It was “designed for the instruction of youth” → essentially a high-level school text

🖼️ The Fold-Out Plates (Important)

Your listing mentions 7 fold-out plates, which is a big deal.

These plates typically include:

• Armillary spheres (mechanical models of the heavens)
• Geometric diagrams for solving problems
• Celestial sphere projections
• Instrument diagrams like the one you showed

Collectors care about:

• Whether all plates are present
• Their condition (no tears at folds)
• Sharpness of the engravings

📚 About Thomas Keith

• Scottish mathematician and educator (late 18th–early 19th century)
• Wrote several textbooks on:
  • Geography
  • Astronomy
  • Arithmetic
• Known for making complex concepts teachable

His books were part of a broader movement: standardizing scientific education during the Industrial Revolution

💰 Value & Collectibility

At £60 ($75–80), this looks:

• Reasonable to slightly good value, assuming:
  • All plates are present
  • Binding is intact
  • No major foxing or water damage

These are not ultra-rare, but they are:

• Highly collectible as teaching artifacts
• Appealing to:
  • Map collectors
  • Science history enthusiasts
  • Interior/design buyers (they display beautifully)

🧭 Why It Might Fit Your “Mistakes on Maps” World

This book represents something subtle but powerful:

👉 It’s from a time when people believed they could fully systematize and master the Earth and heavens through tools and geometry.

That mindset directly feeds into:

• Overconfidence in maps
• Elegant systems that later prove incomplete
• The gap between model vs. reality (a recurring theme in your show)

👍 Bottom Line

You’ve got:

• A solid 19th-century scientific textbook
• With visual plates that are the real star
• Representing the educational infrastructure behind mapping and navigation

If you want, I can:

• Break down one of the plates (like the instrument you photographed)
• Or suggest how to turn this into a slide or short segment for your Fringe show (it actually fits nicely into a “tools vs truth” theme)