Atlases

European Atlases

[ 18th century | 19th century ]
[ Atlases Index ]

18th Century

By the eighteenth century, atlas making had become a serious scientific, economic, military, and political process. The leading cartographic nations at this time, France and England, were also the leading world powers and their atlases of the world reflected their universal interests. The British and French atlases contained country and regional maps of great detail, and they set a very high standard for atlas making. In the late eighteenth century, the events in America involving the newly minted United States were of great interest, even though the cartographers did not have access to new surveys or much first hand information. They did have access to the best pre-Revolutionary surveys, and they tried to keep their maps current, especially for political information.

Rigobert Bonne. Atlas de toutes les parties connues du Globe Terrestre. Geneva: J.L. Pellet, 1780. Small folio. 50 double page maps. New quarter leather binding. Excellent. Phillips: 652.

This atlas was designed to accompany Guillaume Thomas Reynal’s Histoire Philosophique & Politique des Etablissemens & du Commerce des Europeens dans les deux Indes. As such it was designed to follow an encyclopedic approach to the study of the world. Bonne (1727-95) was an engineer and cartographer who published a large number of atlases and charts. His best works can be found in the Neptune Americo-Septentrional and the Atlas Maritime. His penchant for sea charts is evident in the maps of this volume. $2,100
[ Click here for images: World Map, Holland Map ]

Samuel Dunn. A New Atlas of the Mundane System; or, of Geography and Cosmography: Describing The Heavens and the Earth, The Distances, Motions and Magnitudes of the Celestial Bodies: The Various Empires, Kingdoms, States, Republics; and Islands, throughout the Known World. London: R. Sayer & J. Bennett, [1778]-1786. Folio. Full leather with raised bands and gold stamped title. [ Click here for image of cover ] 48 copper engraved maps and charts. Original outline color. Most maps with slight off-setting and some other minor blemishes. Two maps with manuscript notes in margins and on verso; one also discolored and with creases. Otherwise, interior very good condition.

Dunn’s New Atlas of the Mundane System [that is, ‘system pertaining to the world’], appeared in at least six editions, the last in the early nineteenth century. The atlas was compiled by Samuel Dunn, a man of many talents who described himself on one of his maps as “S. Dunn Teacher of the Mathematicks London. Boards Young Gentlemen, & Teacheth Penmanship, Merch’ts Acc’ts, Navigation, Fortification, Astronomy &c. Chelsea.” Dunn’s membership in the Philosophical Society “at Philadelphia in America” is an indication of his immersion in the sciences of his day. This atlas contains a general introduction to geography and cosmography, with six celestial plates, and 42 maps of all parts of the world. These maps reflect not only the summation of late eighteenth century knowledge of the earth, but also the inclination and occupations of its author. Dunn’s mathematical and pedagogical focus is clear in these highly detailed maps. An excellent atlas and a wonderful paradigm of this era of a scientific approach to the world. $7,200

19th Century

European publishers were at a disadvantage of location with reference to maps of North America. As surveys were made, travelers' reports filtered in, and political decisions were rendered, this North American data was immediately available to American mapmakers, but it would take weeks or more for this information to find its way across the Atlantic. European mapmakers were unable to keep their American maps as current or as accurate as could their counterparts. However, European publishers had many advantages over their American colleagues. Outside of America, Europeans had elaborate networks of trade and information unrivaled by those of the Americans. Also, mapmaking was long-established in Europe, giving publishers access to the finest material and highly skilled craftsmen. Though often somewhat anachronistic in their American depictions, atlases issued in Europe were of superior quality, they were generally better with reference to the rest of the world, and they often introduced important innovations to mapmaking.

John Cary. Cary's New Universal Atlas. London: J. Cary, 1808. First edition. Rebound with three-quarters leather using the original boards. Some scuffing to boards, but generally a lovely binding. Very large folio; bound full sheet, with no folds. Contents list tipped onto list of subscribers sheet. Complete with 60 engraved map sheets. Original outline hand color. Excellent interior, with only very occasional minor blemishes. Phillips: 714; Rumsey: 1657.

An excellent, full sheet example of John Cary's influential Universal Atlas. Cary, one of the finest of all British mapmakers, maintained the high standards set by his predecessors. Cary was publishing in a time of increased travel and trade, and his maps admirably met the demand for accurate maps of all parts of the world. His maps are particularly noted for their excellent engraving and the details of waterways and roads. For the period, Cary's Universal Atlas provided the best information available on most parts of the world, and indeed it was the source used by a number of American cartographers for their maps of the world and other continents. Cary's maps of America are also interesting partly for the several anachronistic renderings. In this atlas are four maps focusing on the United States. For much of the country the maps are accurate, but there are two obvious mistakes: for the old Northwest Territory and for Georgia. The former encompassed today's Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Ohio was the first to be detached as a state in 1803, but Cary's maps, dated 1806, show it as still part of the territory. Georgia originally ran from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, and that is how it is shown on Cary's 1806 maps. However, in 1798, eight years before the Cary maps, the Mississippi Territory (consisting of today's Alabama and Mississippi) was broken off from Georgia. It is possible that Cary either did not have the information on these political developments, or that he didn't think it sufficiently important to warrant a re-engraving of the maps, but it is instructive to compare these depictions with those contained in Mathew Carey's pocket atlas from three years earlier. $10,500
[ Click here for images: cover; United States ]

John Cary. Cary's New Universal Atlas containing Distinct Maps of all the Principal States and Kingdoms throughout the World. London: J. Cary, 1811. Second edition (other than date, no changes from 1808 first edition). Rebound in 1905 with three-quarters leather. Leather worn in places, but generally a fine, strong binding. Raised bands; "Cary's Atlas of the World. London" stamped in gilt on spine. Folio. Table of contents tipped onto front inside board. Complete with 60 engraved map sheets, plus 1816 map of Europe (not listed on table of contents but tipped in behind 1811 map of Europe). Original outline hand color; quite striking. Some transferring on nearly every sheet but quite legible; overall very good condition . Phillips: 714; Rumsey: 1657.

A nice example of the second edition of John Cary's influential Universal Atlas (cf. above). The atlas is the same as the earlier edition, except colored with full body color. $7,800

John Pinkerton. A Modern Atlas. London: T. Cadell & W. Davies, and Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1815. First edition. Large folio. Modern three-quarters leather. Complete with 61 engraved maps (world map at end in two parts). Excellent full original hand color. "Map of Northern Part of the United States" with foxing, otherwise interior in excellent condition with crisp maps. Phillips: 724; Rumsey: 732.

An excellent example of the first edition of Pinkerton's influential atlas of the world. An Edinburgh archaeologist, numismatist, author, geographer and publisher, Pinkerton was known for his several publications, including geography books and atlases. The Modern Atlas was first issued in parts beginning in 1808 and was issued as a whole in 1815. The atlas represents the culmination of Pinkerton's cartographic output, and it presents as accurate a picture of the world as was available in the nineteenth century. Like Cary, Pinkerton also had an anachronistic rendering of Georgia, shown extending to the Mississippi River almost two decades after the Mississippi Territory had been broken off. Pinkerton did, however, have a quite up-to-date and fascinating series of maps of the "Spanish Dominions in North America." These three maps were drawn on a large scale and extended from Panama north to include parts of California and the Louisiana Territory, and all of the American southwest. The large scale of these maps allowed for particularly good detail of towns, cities and rivers, as well as mines, military posts, and other such information. $10,500
[ Click here for images: cover; southeastern U.S. ]

Johann Georg August Galletti. Allgemeine Weltkunde, oder Geographisch-statistisch-historische Übersichtsblätter aller Länder. Leipzig und Perth: Konrad A. Hartleben, 1818. Oblong folio. Original printed wrappers using blue paper. 108 pages and 26 full page, engraved maps. Some maps have engraving credited to "Fr. Karacs." Stains on covers and some maps. Subtle and useful. As found. Ref.: LeGear, Atlases, 6025.

A fascinating atlas issued through the eyes of Europeans who saw the world as a post-Napoleonic structure designed by the Congress of Vienna. Johann Galletti (1750-1828) issued a number of atlases according to LeGear. The Library of Congress owns one with 20 maps dated 1807-10, and LeGear mentions a 12th. edition printed in 1859. The map of the United States of America shows a very strange shape for Ohio with the rest of the old Northwest Territory labeled "Indiana." Dramatically more information is given for roads and topography in Europe than in Africa, Asia or the Western Hemisphere. Much information interestingly presented. $1,600

Adam Christian Gaspari. Allgemeiner Hand-Atlas der Ganzen Erde. Weimar: Geographis-chen Instituts, [1821]. Large folio. Original three-quarters leather binding with considerable wear, but tight. Ex-library with library stamps mostly removed. Complete with 60 engraved maps. Original outline hand color. With some internal creasing, short tears and spots. Sheets well handled at bottom edges, especially at beginning. Map of world with considerable wear at folded edge and old repaired tear at bottom. Map of Austrian Empire with long tear at bottom centerfold. Overall, interior very good. Philips 3544.

Adam Christian Gaspari (1752-1830) was a geographer and publisher, and one of the editors of the important scientific journal Allgemeine Geographische Ephemeriden. The German scientific community of the early nineteenth century, personified by Humboldt, was determined to publish the latest scientifically acquired information in an accurate and accessible manner. Their atlases, of which this is a fine example, demonstrate this concern with regular updating, very dense yet clearly presented detail, and a strongly scientific (though still attractive) appearance. The amount of first-rate geographic information presented in this atlas of the entire world, mostly drawn by Carl Ferdinand Weiland, is most impressive. A good example of this is his oversized, 1821 map of the United States. The topography, placement of settlements and native tribes, and indication of political divisions is excellent. Of note is the fact that the Arkansas Territory, formed just two years earlier in 1819, is depicted, an interesting contrast with the British atlases above in being up-to-date. $8,750
[ Click here for images: cover; Western Hemisphere ]

John Dower. A New General Atlas of the World. London: Henry Teesdale & Co., 1835. Small folio. Original three-quarters leather, with some wear in corners and at top and bottom of spine. Tight and intact. Complete with 46 engraved maps. Bright, full original hand color. Overall, excellent condition. Phillips: 772; cf. Rumsey 3326.

The quality of British mapmaking remained superb throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. With skilled craftsmen available, a strong middle-class population with the finances and interest to buy atlases, and an extensive network of information available throughout the growing empire, nineteenth century British atlases were accurate, richly produced, and attractive. This is a fine example from the London firm of Henry Teesdale & Co.. The atlas contains eight maps relating to the Western Hemisphere, including a map of "Mexico and Guatimala" which shows Texas as a political unit of Mexico; this map was made just as the Texas Revolution was getting underway. Also included are four maps of the ancient world and a table of mountains and rivers that was used by H.S. Tanner for his New Universal Atlas. $2,500
[ Click here for images: West Indies; Asia ]

J.E. Wörl. Atlas über alle Theile der Erde. Carlsruhe & Freiburg, Germany: Herder'sche Verlagsbandlung, 1843. Oblong folio. Original cloth and marbled board binding, with original engraved label. Some minor wear at spine corners. Flyleaf creased. Complete with 28 lithographed maps. Original outline hand color. Library stamp on world map. Maps with foxing throughout. Maps of North America and U.S. show Texas as republic. Cf. Phillips: 6095.

A very rare German atlas by Joseph Edmund Wörl (also Woerl). Its nature as a school atlas is indicated by the running title on most maps, "Woerl's Schul-Atlas." Asia and Africa have one map each, but the European countries are illustrated, including six maps of Germany, and there are separate maps of South America, the West Indies, North America and the United States. These last two maps are of particular interest as each shows Texas as an independent republic. $3,700

Verzeichniss und Reihenfolge der Hundert Und Drei Und Zwanzig Karten in Meyer's Zeitungs-Atlas. Hildburghausen, Germany: H. Meyer, 1852. Oblong quarto. Original red half leather with patterned cloth and stamped title. Minor incidental wear to binding. Complete with 123 steel engraved maps. Original outline color. With a few maps age toned and some scattered spotting and stains, but generally interior very good.

The Bibliographisches Institut set up business in Hildburghausen, Germany, in 1828 under the direction of Herrmann Meyer, and it lasted there until 1874, at which time it moved to Leipzig. The firm published a journal, entitled Meyer's Universum, as well as a number of other volumes including this world atlas. The Bibliographisches Institut is known particularly for its finely detailed, steel engraved views and maps, and this atlas is an excellent example of the quality of its output. Each map is very detailed, while the bright outline color adds a decorative element to the atlas. There is a map of the United States and five regional American maps, including a fascinating map of Texas, the southwestern U.S., and northern Mexico. Texas is shown without the panhandle, which here is part of New Mexico. The rest of the American southwest is shown as one territory, with some interesting information-some accurate and some not-, including the brightly marked gold regions around Sacramento. A fine example of mid-nineteenth century German mapping. $2,800
[ Click here for images: title page | Western Hemisphere ]

Heinrich Berghaus. Vollständiger Universal-Handatlas der neueren Erdbeschreibung Über Alle Theile Der Erde in 114 Blättern. Glogau, Germany: Carl Flemming, 1853. Oblong folio. New cloth binding, but with original leather title label. Complete with 114 lithographed maps. Original outline hand color. Manuscript numbering of maps. Maps vary in condition, with most very good, some with some light spotting and paper toning, and about ten with more general spotting and darkening.

This is a nice example of Heinrich Berghaus' 'Complete Universal Atlas' issued in Glogau by German map publisher C. Flemming. Berghaus was a versatile genius who was a geographer, cartographer, author, teacher and pioneer in the field of thematic cartography. He produced the first comprehensive thematic atlas of the world, the Physikalischer Atlas. The maps show the characteristic German dense detail, but are here presented using lithography and in an unfolded format for ease of study. The atlas includes a single-sheet map of the United States and, on a larger scale, a four-sheet map of the country (the southeast quadrant has a keyed list of the states added to the margin in pencil). There are two excellent additional regional American maps, one of the western-most part, from the Rockies to the Pacific, and a large-scale map of Texas, the last issued due to the intense German interest in the state, where many countrymen had emigrated in the preceding decades. $2,850
[ Click here for images: cover | United States | Texas ]

A Leaf from the Mercator-Hondius World Atlas . . . of 1619. Essay by Norman J.W. Thrower. Folio. Fullerton, CA.: Stone & Lorson, 1985, 5ll., 1-25pp. One full folio map in excellent condition tipped in. Limited to 115 copies. In original slip case. Excellent and beautiful.

This exquisite example of printing, paper and binding contains an essay about early geographical atlases, Gerard Mercator, Jodocus Hondius and their successors, and the world atlas that they helped create.

The folio map is of the Italian regions of Ancona and Spoleto with full margins, original color and French text on the back. A lovely example of work from the Mercator-Hondius firm in Amsterdam in 1619. $375

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