With 140 hand-colored maps and plans (most are full-page and 29 being double-page), plus the insets, and 2 full-page black and white maps; all on 107 map-sheets; 2 double-page hand-colored plates, one showing the national and commercial flags of various nations and the other showing the mountains and rivers of the world; plus a steel-engraved plate before the title page. (Folio) 17½x15, original ¼ sheep and green cloth, front cover lettered in gilt and with a gilt-stamped vignette, spine tooled and lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, hinges reinforced, all edges gilt.
Colton was one of the pre-eminent American map publishing firms in the mid-nineteenth century, which began publishing maps in the 1830's. Complete and contains the numerous sought after single and double-page state maps, many with city insets. 58 maps focus on the United States, including New York state and city; Pennsylvania; Florida; Texas; Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; Minnesota; Nebraska; Montana, Idaho and Wyoming; Wyoming, Colorado and Utah; New Mexico and Arizona; California and Nevada; Oregon, Washington and Idaho, etc. City maps include: Washington, DC; Boston; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Savannah/Charleston; Louisville/New Orleans; Pittsburgh/Cincinnati; Chicago/St. Louis; London (black and white); and Paris (mostly black and white). Plus many maps of North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceanica. Includes an extra hand-colored Colton map of Cuba in 1869 on thin stock paper, laid in. Phillips Atlases 886 (citing 1878 edition).
Condition:
Leather joints and edges heavily rubbed, scuffs to spine, small dark stain on front cover, white stains on rear; binding shaken, occasional marginal tears, foxing to steel-engraved plate and title page; maps very good or better with clean and bright images.