Beschreibung:

COLLINS, Captain Greenvile. Great Britain's Coasting-Pilot ... being a new and exact survey of the sea-coast of England and Scotland . London: printed by Freeman Collins ... to be sold by Richard Mount, 1693. 2 parts in one volume, 2° (532 x 347mm). Titles in red and black, 2pp. list of subscribers. Engraved frontispiece, 47 (of 48) engraved maps and charts on thick paper, 42 double-page, 3 folding, 2 coastal profiles, all on guards, part I with engraved note at end of text, part II with half-page engraved chart of part of Northumberland on p.13 of the text. (Without the chart of Cork Harbour, two of the folding plates with small tears at the folds, occasional light spotting.) Contemporary panelled calf, later gilt rule on covers (rebacked, old spine laid down, recornered). Provenance : Captain Rigby (signature on front free endpaper). LARGE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION ON THICK PAPER OF 'THE FIRST COMPLETE PILOT BOOK IN ENGLISH OF THE ENTIRE BRITISH COAST' (National Maritime Museum Catalogue). Until the publication of this atlas, British seamaen had relied almost entirely on Dutch charts. In 1670 John Seller had published a sea-atlas, but the plates were Dutch (with the exception of the plate of Sir Jonas Moore's survey of the Thames Estuary). With Admiralty backing, Collins began his survey in 1681, progress was slow, but by 1688 he and his assistants had completed 120 plans. Of these only 48 were engraved (some were issued individually as they were completed) and finally published in 1693. The ...Coasting Pilot became very successful with at least 20 editions appearing (with only minor alterations) in the following century. NMM 3 p.397; Wing C-5358.