[Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound.]

Published by J. F. W. Des Barres for The Atlantic Neptune, London, 1776

Heritage seller

Seller: Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA), New York, NY, U.S.A.Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since May 9, 1998

Association member: ABAAILAB

Condition: Used

£ 22,222.32

£ 18.93 shipping 
Ships within U.S.A.

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket
Free 30-day returns

Item description from seller

Large engraved chart from Des Barres' Atlantic Neptune on two sheets of laid paper, joined, each bearing "J Bates" watermark. 43x31 inches sheet size, nice margins; contemporary hand-color in outline; slightest offsetting, a superior copy. State 4 of 7. Fine chart depicting the waters between New Bedford and Martha's Vineyard. Buzzards Bay and the Vineyard Sound including the Elizabeth Islands and the western half of Martha's Vineyard. Showing much more on-shore information than is typical for a Des Barres chart, there are details of property boundaries, structures, even a road from Menemshaw Pond to Tisbury. Native names throughout remain largely unchanged today. Joseph Des Barres was born in Switzerland in 1721 and educated in Basel before emigrating to England and entering the Royal Military College where he learned engineering and the art of surveying. In 1756, Des Barres was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Royal American Regiment and dispatched to North America. He served in America during the Seven Years War under Colonel Bouquet, Lord Howe and General Amherst, and participated in the Quebec campaign as General Wolfe's engineer. Though Des Barres was responsible for the surveys done of Nova Scotia and the Isle of Sable, the surveying of the coastline of what became the United States was undertaken by Major Samuel Holland, a Dutchman, who joined the British army during the French and Indian War as an engineer, and became ultimately Surveyor General for North America. Holland was in charge of a rather large staff, that included Charles Blaskowitz and George Gauld. They ultimately provided greatly improved charts for the entire coastline and the Gulf of Mexico. All this work was done prior to the Revolution, which necessarily brought the surveys to an end. The publishing supervised by Des Barres continued throughout the war years. Des Barres compiled and edited the atlas, maintaining a high standard throughout. His primary motive seems to have been the navigational usefulness of the charts. He clearly envisioned a navigator's needs in approaching a shoreline. The Atlantic Neptune was the first new survey of American coastlines in a century, and the need was very great. The charts were plagiarized for the next thirty or forty years. Des Barres also had a flare for making charts aesthetically appealing, so that they are invariably handsome as well as unfailingly interesting. Stevens 88D; John Carter Brown Library Charting the East Coast of North America, The Atlantic Neptune (Providence: 1972); Robert Lingel 'The Atlantic Neptune' in the Bulletin of the New York Public Library, July 1936, pp.571-603; Augustus P. Loring 'The Atlantic Neptune' in American Maritime Prints (New Bedford: 1985).…

Seller Inventory # 33412

Bibliographic details

Title
[Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound.]
Author
DES BARRES, JOSEPH FREDERICK WALLET (1721-1824) and SAMUEL HOLLAND
Publisher
J. F. W. Des Barres for The Atlantic Neptune, London
Publication year
1776
Seller catalogs
North America, Sea Charts

Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)

New York, NY, U.S.A.

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since May 9, 1998

Association member:

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Item5 to 14 business days3 to 6 business days
First item£ 18.93£ 30.28
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay

Store description

Donald A. Heald Rare Books offers the finest examples of antiquarian books and prints in the areas of Botany, Ornithology, Natural History, Americana & Canadiana, Native Americans, Voyages & Travels, Maps & Atlases, Photography and more. Founded in England in 1972, we have formed and contributed to important private and institutional collections. Items of note which we have placed include a unique copy of Abbot’s "Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia" with plates on vellum, an extremely rare extra-illustrated large paper Spanish edition of Blaeu’s "Atlas Mayor," Curtis's "North American Indian," a copy of the Federalist Papers in boards, the first separate printing of the Bill of Rights, and a large paper issue of Redouté's "Les Roses" with the plates in two states. We are renowned for our extensive print inventory which is unsurpassed in quality. Our Sporting collection recently incorporated the complete print stock of Ackermann & Son of London, established in 1783. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, where Mr. Heald has served on the Board of Governors as Treasurer, Security Chairperson, and as Chairman of the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair. We are members of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, and the American Historical Print Collectors Society. Mr. Heald is a member of the Grolier Club, and the American Antiquarian Society.…

Specialty

Fine Bindings, Maps and Atlases, Voyages and Travels, Americana, Natural History, Illustrated Books, Historical and Decorative Prints, Colour-plate Books

Association member

  • Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America
  • International League of Antiquarian Booksellers
Members of these associations are committed to maintaining the highest standards. They vouch for the authenticity of all items offered for sale. They provide expert and detailed descriptions, disclose all significant defects and/or restorations, provide clear and accurate pricing, and operate with fairness and honesty during the purchase experience.

Seller's business information

Donald A. Heald Rare Books (ABAA)

NY, U.S.A.