TANNER, HENRY SCHENCK. 1786-1858.

TANNER, HENRY SCHENCK. 1786-1858.
A New American Atlas containing Maps of Several States of the North American Union, projected and drawn on a uniform scale. Philadelphia: 1818-23.
5 parts. Folio (606 x 446 mm). Letterpress half-title, 1 p index of maps and 18 pp text titled "Geographical Memoir"; the engraved title with a vignette of Columbus landing in the New World and dated 1823; 18 hand-colored engraved maps on 22 sheets, divided between the 5 parts, variously dated 1818-1822; 16 maps in double-page, the Map of North America on 4 sheets, and the map of South America on 2 sheets. Original blue wrappers, some light browning of both text and maps, the last two pages of the text with clean marginal tears, the maps in the first 3 parts with brittle margins and some marginal loss, map of Europe torn along center fold, wrappers separated along spines, contained in a contemporary half roan portfolio, spine worn and broken.
WITH: "New and Elegant American Atlas now publishing," being the prospectus and terms of publishing for the work dated July 10th 1818, original wrappers, the verso of the lower wrapper with a letterpress listing of maps to be published in the first three parts, noting 14 maps in total, but listing two maps not present in the final work, a map of the world on two sheets and a map of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, both of Canada, and subsequently left out of the finished atlas as it appeared in parts.

RARE, EARLY ISSUE of Tanner's New American Atlas, complete in its original parts, and with the separate prospectus for publication, printed in July 1818. We can find no record of a copy in parts coming up for auction in the past 45 years. The special rear wrapper for the prospectus has a listing of the maps for the first 3 parts, and promises a new map of America on 4 sheets and other maps of states to be finished. Contemporary reviews of this New American Atlas were favourable: "it is decidedly one of the most splendid works of the kind ever executed in the Country" (US Gazette, September 1823). Schwartz and Ehrenberg argue, "Tanner's 'Atlas' represents the first comprehensive analytical compilation of existing cartographic and geographic data for the United States as a whole," p 251. By publishing each map on a uniform scale, and grouping states where necessary, Tanner presented a cohesive geographical entity for the new nation and moved forward the quality of presentation for cartography in America. The published memoir describes that it took "nearly 10 years of unremitted application and research."

Tanner was born in New York, the younger brother of Benjamin Tanner, an established engraver, and served his apprenticeship with his older brother before moving to Philadelphia in 1810 to start up as a map publisher. This New American Atlas was his first major opus and established his reputation.