author
Jacques W. (Jacques Wardlaw) Redway
1849–1942
A prolific writer of school geographies and histories, he helped bring maps, landforms, and world regions to life for generations of students. His books blended classroom clarity with the perspective of someone who had traveled widely and studied the physical world firsthand.
1 Audiobook
Commercial Geography A Book for High Schools, Commercial Courses, and Business Colleges
by Jacques W. (Jacques Wardlaw) Redway
About the author
Born near Nashville, Tennessee, on May 5, 1849, Jacques Wardlaw Redway became an American geographer, teacher, and textbook author whose work was widely used in schools. Sources on his life agree that he studied at the University of California, later took a special course in mining engineering at the University of Munich, and went on to teach in California.
Redway wrote extensively on geography, physical geography, meteorology, and history, with books including Elementary Physical Geography, Commercial Geography, Handbook of Meteorology, and The Redway School History. Museum and library records also describe him as a traveler and researcher who drew on experience in South America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
His writing was aimed at students and teachers, and much of it reflects a practical, visual approach to learning about places, landscapes, and human activity. He died in 1942, leaving behind a large body of educational writing that remains well represented in library, archive, and public-domain collections.