Élisée Reclus (March 15 1830 – July 4 1905), also known as Jean Jacques Élisée Reclus, was a renowned French geographer, writer and anarchist. He produced his 19-volume masterwork over a period of nearly 20 years: La Nouvelle Géographie universelle, la terre et les hommes (1875 – 1894). In 1892 he was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal of the Paris Geographical Society for this work, despite his having been banished from France because of his political activ… (More on Reclus)