With 69 hand-colored copper-engraved map sheets, including frontispiece of rivers and mountains; engraved pictorial title-page. Plus printed Author's Notice, Table of Contents, and Index leaves. (folio) 39.8x32 cm (15½x12½"), period half brown morocco & cloth, spine lettered in gilt.
Tanner's important world atlas, concentrating on the United States, the maps finely engraved and attractively colored. Warren Heckrotte discusses the atlas, and point it out as an early issue: "The Map of North America dated 1836 is one of the earliest maps to show results of explorations of Jedediah Smith. Wheat, TW, gives two pages to discussion of map... 32 maps are undated, 22 dated 1833, six dated 1834, two dated 1835, and seven dated 1836. This is an early issue of the atlas; some with title page dated 1836 have most maps dated 1836. Toledo is shown on the North America map, which is early for Toledo, founded in 1834. The maps of Ohio and the United States, dated 1835, do not show Toledo, and have that region included in Michigan. There are a number of later editions: 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46. Maps were changed to reflect new information. The 1842 edition is the last one published by Tanner. The 1844 is the last edition with engraved plates; the 1845 the first with lithographic plates. This information comes from DR's catalogue. The later issues that include Bradford's map of Texas bring more money." He also notes "Handwritten name on fly leaf: Samuel May Leicester 1836. There are early handwritten notes respecting a few of the maps. Evidence of stubs of blue wrappers indicate atlas is made up from fascicles."
Provenance: John Carpenter, 5/03
References: P-LG 774. Wheat, TW 422 for Map of North America (Rep, but later verson; San Felipe de Austin on first, changed to San Felipe).