Sometimes it is just fun to go back in time. For example, take a look at this book from 1792 by John Love entitled Geodaesia: The Art of Surveying and Measuring Made Easy.

Geodaesia:

or, The art of surveying and measuring land made easy. Shewing by plain and practical rules, to survey, protract, cast up, reduce or divide any piece of land whatsoever; with new tables for the ease of the surveyor in reducing the measure of land. Moreover a more facile and sure way of surveying by the chain, than has hitherto been taught. As also to lay out new lands in America, or elsewhere: and how to make a perfect map of a river's mouth or harbour

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Some of my favorite pages from the book.