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Excessively Rare Atlas - by America's First Stationer.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 11,000.00 USD
Excessively Rare Atlas - by America's First Stationer.
A landmark work in cartography - and American publishing, A General Atlas containing distinct Maps Of all the known Countries in the World..., published by Fielding Lucas, Jr., c. 1823, Baltimore's earliest successful map publisher, and founder of the first stationer in the U.S. Folio, 12 x 15, polished crimson calf with intricately blind- and gilt-stamped ornamentation. Typographically extravagant title leaf, copper-engraved by Jos. Perkins of Philadelphia. Hand-colored frontispiece plate of "Comparative Height of the Principal Mountains...," with detailed key and text inside. In all, 104 items cited in Table of Contents, of which 98 are full-size, blind-paneled maps, with original hand-watercoloring, in exquisitely delicate shades of pink, green, yellow, and blue. Many individual state maps double-page.

Regarded as the "finest general atlas produced in the U.S. at the time, setting aside the Tanner and Finley atlases as specialized productions"--David Rumsey Historical Map Collection, Stanford. "As an artist, Lucas helped publish one of the first color plate books 'c. 1837]..."--wikipedia. Comprising 7 maps of the ancient world, 3 of the modern world, plus 19 of Europe, 6 Asia, 5 Africa, 31 North America - including individual states plus "Arkansa" and Northwest and Michigan Territories, 21 West Indies, and 6 of South America. Scuffing of boards, moderate corner wear, covers detached, lacking about 20% of spine, principally fragments at top, center, and bottom; internally, some offset of copper-engraved image to facing leaf, these usually blank, uniform marginal toning to warm cream, foxing varying from none to moderate but generally insignificant to minor; Pennsylvania map with two old parallel creases, probably from binding; left leaf of Va. map tattered and waterstained at bottom, with insect residue on verso, when tip stub's glue dried and sheet extended from book in storage. In all, internally very good to fine plus. "In essence (Lucas) was a precursor of the modern publisher; he selected, produced, and sold books, but he did not print books himself. All printing was farmed out..."--Marylandia Collection, University of Maryland Libraries. (Astonishingly, the Lucas printing firm still exists. For some years, they printed the Cohasco catalogue.) No copies on abebooks. Unlisted in Sabin. WorldCat locates only five examples (plus Osher Map Library and Stanford). Four single maps (none of North American subjects) appear on the market for 65.00-125.00 each. ,000