(New York: John Read Bookseller, 1796).

FIRST EDITION, HIGHLY IMPORTANT, OF ONE OF THE MOST RARE AND INTERESTING AMERICAN ATLASES. THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND ATLAS PRINTED IN AMERICA (after Carey's Atlas of 1795) AND INCLUDES THE VERY RARE PLAN OF WASHINGTON, D.C., A MAP WHICH IS NEARLY ALWAYS MISSING FROM COPIES OF THE WORK. The twenty other maps included represent; North America, South America, the United States, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and adjoining territories, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and the West Indies.
In 1796 New York bookseller John Reid issued an American edition of William Winterbotham’s 'History of America', which had been originally issued in London during the previous year. The London edition was accompanied by an atlas of nine maps drawn by John Russell. For his edition Reid created a more substantial Atlas containing twenty-one maps. Reid’s was only the second such atlas printed in the United States, after that of Mathew Carey, whose atlas had been published the previous year and which influenced Reid considerably. Reid however included one of the earliest printed plans of the District of Columbia, which Carey had not included. The plan of Washington was adapted from Ellicott's official plan of the city, but by way of of Russell’s Atlas printed in London. The maps of North America, South America, West Indies, United States, and Kentucky were also largely drawn from Russell’s atlas, the others were new and drawn from the best sources Reid had available at the time.
Reid’s Atlas was only the second American atlas published in this country, and this is the first and only edition of it. Item #29679

FIRST EDITION OF THE SECOND ATLAS TO BE PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES AND WITH THE VERY RARE PLAN OF WASHINGTON DC INCLUDED, which is almost always lacking. With 21 very fine and attractive maps of America, including the large plan of the City of Washington (District of Columbia). The large folio maps are all double-page spreads, but for Maine, which is a extra full-page folding plate, and Georgia and Tennessee which are full page. The rare plan of Washington D.C. is a full double-page spread plus foldout and is over 21" x over 16'. folio, handsomely bound in contemporary style marbled boards backed in brown calf, with an antiqued paper label printed in black on the upper cover. 21 plates, most being on sheets 18.5 by 16.25 inches. An extraordinary example, the rare maps beautifully preserved, complete and neatly tipped to stubs for binding, the maps with no tears or loss and very little age evidence, a number of the maps with neat and interesting manuscript notations to the versos in an antique hand executed in sepia coloured ink. Many of these manuscript notations log distances between locations or similar geographic comment. We would suggest that these add significantly to the honesty and interest of the copy and in no case do they detract from or affect the images. Some of the maps are neatly numbered in a corner in the same early hand, an additional leaf of notes is bound in at the rear, a little occasional age spotting, all very minor. An exceptional example very well preserved indeed.