Fine Cartographic and Printed Americana

Folio (549 x 367 mm). Engraved frontispiece depicting William Penn meeting with the Indians by Robert Delaunay after Benjamin West, engraved title, 17 engraved maps on 24 sheets, most hand-colored in wash and outline. (Title-page a little dust-soiled, some minor spotting and toning, a few small marginal stains, a few short tears at folds or margins, but overall very fine.) Later vellum, modern endpapers.

THE VERY RARE FRENCH EDITION OF THOMAS JEFFERYS' AMERICAN ATLAS OF 1775-THE MOST COMPLETE FRENCH 18TH-CENTURY ATLAS OF NORTH AMERICA

The Atlas Ameriquain was issued soon after France's entry into the war of the American Revolution and Le Rouge used the best large scale general survey maps that were available, and includes a magnificent version of John Mitchell's great map of North America in eight sheets, "the most important map in American history" (DNB). Other cornerstone American multi-sheet maps contained here are: the Braddock Mead map of New England, the Montresor map of New York, Scull's map of Pennsylvania, the Fry and Jefferson map of Virginia and Mary-land, Muzon's map of the Carolinas, De Brahm's map of Georgia (with large scale insets of Sauthier's map of the Hudson River and Lake Champlain), and Jeffery's map of Louisiana and East and West Florida.

Le Rouge's atlas drew upon the best available British sources, as published by Jefferys, Faden, Sayer and Bennett, to which Le Rouge added his own work. It became the basic source for French strategic planning and pursuit of the war, and served French commanders in the land campaigns (as the Neptune Americo-Septentrional of the same year served for naval actions). Phillips 1212 (later version, after 1792); Howes J81; Sabin 35954; Schwartz & Ehrenberg, Mapping of America, p. 202.