Beschreibung:

ALCEDO, Antonio de (1735-1812) and ARROWSMITH, Aaron (1750-1823), cartographer. The Geographical and Historical Dictionary of America and the West Indies, Containing an Entire Translation of the Spanish Work of Colonel Don Antonio de Alcedo ... With Large Additions and Compilations ... by G.A. Thompson Esq. London: for James Carpenter [and others], [1812-1815]. The Earl of Londsdale’s copy of the most important printed atlas of the Americas of its time, Thompson’s Alcedo. It contains the foundation wall maps of the region by the greatest British cartographer of his generation. The atlas is complete with the accompanying text volumes of Thompson’s translation and expansion of Alcedo’s classic work on the Americas. Arrowsmith specialized in large multi-sheet maps. These were generally separately issued and are now very scarce. His five great wall maps of the Americas were particularly well received and became "foundation or prototype maps of the area and were extensively copied by other publishers" (Tooley). These five wall maps were of North America (first published in 1795), the United States (1796), the West Indies (1803), Mexico (1810), and South America (1810). They were generally republished many times, as new information became available. Thomas Jefferson considered the 1803 edition the best map of the continent in print at the time, and it was used extensively in planning Lewis and Clark’s expedition (1805-06). Likewise, the 1814 edition of North America (offered here) was the first map to make use of Lewis and Clark’s map of the same year, and the first to combine Lewis and Clark and Zebulon Pike’s data onto one map. This copy was owned by Hugh Cecil Lowther (1857-1944), 5th Earl of Lonsdale. Lowther was an English nobleman, sportsman and playboy. On succeeding his brother, St George Lowther, in 1882, he inherited an substantial fortune. After the scandal of an affair with the actress Violet Cameron, Lonsdale set out in 1888 to explore the Arctic regions of Canada as far north as Melville Island, nearly dying before reaching Kodiak, Alaska in 1889 and returning to England. His collection of Inuit artefacts is now in the British Museum. The earl’s extravagant lifestyle forced him to sell some of his inherited properties, including Whitehaven Castle in 1921 and Barleythorpe in 1926, and moving from Lowther Castle to much smaller accommodation in 1935. Subsequent to his death, his heir, his brother Lancelot, the 6th Earl, was forced to auction off the contents of Lowther Castle in 1947, which was the largest English country house sale of the 20th century. Lowndes I, 26; James C. Martin and Robert Sidney Martin, Maps of Texas and the Southwest 1513-1900 (Texas: Texas State Historical Association, 1984); Sabin 683 ("Copies are sometimes found with an atlas of … maps by Arrowsmith, but they are rare"). Six volumes comprising: folio atlas (660 x 525mm). Small format index leaf mounted on front pastedown, the remaining leaves all mounted on guards throughout, five wall maps, hand-coloured in outline, by Aaron Arrowsmith, on nineteen double-page or folding engraved sheets, each numbered on a small early paper label pasted to the verso of each sheet, with "North America" on three sheets [numbered I-III]; "United States" on four sheets [IV-VII]; "Mexico" on four sheets [VIII-XI]; "West Indies" on two sheets [XII-XIII]; "South America" on six sheets [XIV-XIX] (even toning and some offsetting to most maps, last few maps with edge creases and two with short separations near fold intersections). Modern calf, armorial blind stamp to upper board, spine in eight compartments separated by raised bands, gilt. [With:] Five text volumes, quarto (270 x 210mm). Half-titles in all volumes. 2pp. preliminary list of subscribers in first volume. Contemporary calf, with blind-stamped coat of arms to upper covers, gilt spines (rebacked with spines laid down, light edge-wear, few foxmarks to endleaves). Provenance: Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lon