[6] (incl. engraved title), 18 pp. + 22 double-page hand-colored copper-engraved maps by Tanner. (folio) 58x40.5 cm (22¾x16"), rebound in later buckram, later endpapers.
Tanner's seminal atlas of North America, primarily the United States, with the maps derived from recent surveys, and superbly engraved and printed on fine, thick paper, with exquisite hand-coloring. This magnificent work, standing far above most contemporary American atlases, was to set a standard to which few others would come close. In addition to a striking map of the world on Mercator's projection, with numerous explorer's routes shown, there are maps of the various continents (including a two-sheet map of South America), and, most notably, the interior parts of North America. The most awe-inspiring of these is a four-sheet map of North America, with a finely-engraved, and extremely large, cartouche featuring Niagara Falls, a beaver, a moose, etc. In addition, detailed regional maps of the United States are both attractive and of great import. These include Maine, New Hampshire and the rest of New England; New York; Pennsylvania and New Jersey; Virginia, Maryland and Delaware; Ohio and Indiana; Kentucky and Tennessee; North and South Carolina; Georgia and Alabama; Louisiana and Mississippi; Illinois and Missouri; and Florida. Of significance, the geographical memoir, preceding the maps, contains the sources from which the maps were made, with criticisms. Wheat calls the four-sheet map of North America "a landmark - a great cartographic achievement - and its appearance brought to the fore the engraver who worked with Samuel Lewis back in 1804 on the little map of Louisiana... Tanner states in the Geographical Memoir accompanying his maps that he had devoted nearly ten years study to this subject, using a `globular projection,' similar to that used by Arrowsmith. He used as a basis Kotzebue, Arrowsmith and Vancouver, and for the British Possessions Mackenzie, Harmon's Journal, and Hearne's map of the Coppermine River. For the United States he used the map of Lewis and Clark, and by correcting the longitude given by these explorers by that of Lieutenant Graham for Council Bluffs, he was enabled to construct a whole new longitudinal scale for which he placed the `Oregon Mountains' three degrees farther East. He also used Thomas Nuttall's work for parts east of the 100th meridian..."
Provenance: Sotheby Parke-Bernet, 12/6/77 (through Arkway)
References: Howes T29; Phillips Atlases 1374; Wheat Transmississippi 350.
Condition:
Some rubbing to the utilitarian binding; title-page foxed; light offset to a number of the maps, as is common, occasional minor, and mostly marginal soiling, some maps with neat repairs in lower margin to split at centerfold, a few on versos to longer splits, all quite neat and unobtrusive; southwest sheet of North American map coming loose, with hinge cracked at that point; overall very good, maps quite nice overall, a rare and important atlas.