A series of twelve humerous allegorical maps of Europe depicting the political landscape of the time in human form, the work of a "young lady... in her fifteenth year... seeking to amuse a brother confined to his bed by illness" ('Introduction'). Eliza Jane Tennant, later known by her stage name as Lilian Lancaster, created the origianl drawings for these maps, when she was a young girl, to amuse her sick brother.

William Henry "Aleph" Harvey (1796-1866) was a London doctor and journalist. He was also known for writing and illustrating works for children. He stated as the purpose to create the work that "If these geographical puzzles excite the mirth of children; the amusement of the moment may lead to the profitable curiosity of youthful students, and embue the mind with a healthful taste for an acquaintance with foreign lands. No history, no journal can be understood without a knowledge of maps, and good service is done when we make such information more easy and agreeable".