Explore the colorful world of historic atlases and maps from the New Jersey Room's collection. Each week during our Summer Learning Program we will highlight a rarely seen item.

The 1941 publication of A New Atlas of China: Land, Air and Sea Routes by Marthe Rajchman came at a pivotal moment in the political and military history of the Pacific. The Second Sino-Japanese War had raged since 1937, as the expansionist Japanese Empire moved to assert control of the South Pacific. In China, the civil war between the Nationalist Koumintang and the Chinese Communist Party had been put on hold in the Second United Front, an uneasy alliance that in theory lasted until the defeat of the Japanese Empire at the close of World War II – though 1941 was a low point as the New Fourth Army Incident effectively ended any real cooperation.

The atlas was published by The John Dey Company, perhaps best known as the publisher of Pearl S. Buck. It is worth noting that the maps and descriptive text were both created by women: Constance Wade of Asia Magazine and Polish cartographer Marthe Rajchmann. Rajchmann’s maps are notable for their clean simple lines, a very modernist approach compared to other maps in our series.

The Introduction by then-retired Rear Admiral H. E. (Harry Ervin) Yarnell, who had recently commanded the US Asiatic Fleet, discusses how little is known of Chinese geography by most Americans, and discusses the state of the war since the Japanese invasions. His introduction is dated December 4, 1941. Three days later, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into the global wars, effectively bringing China into the Allied side.

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