This terraqueous globe, commissioned by

 The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge 

(1829-1947) was founded by the Scottish lawyer Henry Brougham, a member of parliament for the Whigs. The idea behind the society was to bring to the less enlightened population knowledge to which they would otherwise have no access.
 
To achieve these goals he commissioned and published books and maps at very low prices that would be affordable to less well-off citizens. The texts were written in a highly didactic fashion in order to better facilitate their understanding, although without compromising their scientific correctness.
 
Among the many collaborations the society entered into with various publishers to fulfil this plan was one agreed with the Malby company, which collaborated actively by manufacturing globes that showed the current state of the world and the latest geographical discoveries and changes. Around this time, pocket globes of the world also became very fashionable. Their small size meant that they could be readily carried around and people used them in their club and coffee house discussions.
 
19th century England was known for its scientific societies where scholars met to discuss the latest advances in travel, science, geography, etc.

, in 1851, which was the year of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations held in London, is one of the few examples with a 91.44 cm (3 feet) diameter, published by the Malby family following etchings of the sphere of the world published in 1825 by John Addison (1800-1830), chalcographer and manufacturer of globes for King George IV of England.

The globes first manufactured and sold by J. Addison & Co. were later made by his associate Thomas Malby. In the mid-nineteenth century, after Addison’s death, Malby reached an agreement with James Wyld, who collaborated in the re-issue, sale and advertising of the globes.

The globe comprises thirty two hand-coloured and engraved gores, including the 24 time zones, adhered over a hollow cardboard sphere covered with a layer of plaster, and it´s encircled by a full meridian ring and a horizon band, transversal to the former and marking the solstices.

Raised from the floor, the globe is supported on two points. The horizon band, attached to a tripod with curved feet which end in scrolls resting on the vertices of a concave triangular base, in turn resting on three metal castors. The meridian band, attached at the South Pole to a turned column fixed in the centre of the triangular stand.

On the top part of the globe, centred on the axis of rotation, is the hour circle in the form of a thin metal band. Calibrated in Roman numerals and in two successions ranging from one to twelve, it shows the lines marking the twenty hour time zones.

The equator is divided into sexagesimal fractions, marked in fives (both from east to west and from west to east) and alternately subdivided into thirty fractions of two sexagesimal minutes.

The horizon band has different calibrations, including an annual chronogram divided into months and then subdivided into days (marked five by five plus the final days of each month), the directions of the various signs of the zodiac and the horizon line which is divided into degrees and azimuths, marked with 32 compass points.

The globe also contains a compass on the horizon band, located between Pisces and Aries.

The metal meridian band is composed of four quadrants, each one divided into ninety sexagesimal degrees that separate the equator from the poles.