John Thornton /John SELLER - The English Pilot, The Fourth Book (London 1689)

Atlas/ Navigation. THORNTON,J. / SELLER, J. [London, 1689]

The English Pilot, The Fourth Book Describing the Sea-Coasts; Capes, Head-Lands, Rivers, Bays, Roads, Havens, Harbours, Streights, Islands, Depts, Rocks, Shoals, Sands, Banks, and Dangers from the River Amazons to New-found-Land; with all the West-India Navigation, and the Islands therein, as Cuba, Hispagniola, Jamaica, Barbados, Porto Rico, and the rest of the Caribbe Islands. With  A New Description of New-found-Land, New-England, Virginia, Mary-Land, &c.
Shewing The Courses and Distances from one Place to another, the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea, the Settings of the Tides and Currents, &c.
By the Information of divers Navigators of our own and other nations.
LONDON, Printed for William Fisher at the Postern on Tower-Hill, and John Thornton at the Plat in the Minories, MDCLXXXIX. Folio [44.5x28.5cm ]

FIRST EDITION, 2 parts in one volume, folio, in original brown calf binding, ribbed spine and tooled in blind (spine is separating),  [1]; Printed title; 23pp.; (44)pp; 1 large folding, 5 single page and 12 double page charts on heavy ply paper. 255 woodcut plans and coastal profiles in text.
The text is complete, however incorrectly numbered. The pages numbers 1-4 of part two are considered the blank verso of charts 9 and 10.
With scattered foxing and usual light browning throughout. Last 5 charts and 20pp. have stronger browning along the lower half of the center fold, which can be restored). The larger charts generally trimmed close in binding (as often).

Provenance: On first blank leave a manuscript exlibris Bryan Smith, London January of 13^th 1694. commandons à tous ceux quy auront ce flambaux de se souvenir du nom.

Contents of charts

 The English Pilot. The Fourth Book was the “first wholly English sea-atlas of American waters... [and] the first major sea-atlas produced in England”—Verner.

Sold for 150,000 euro's
The Fourth Book', published by John Thornton and William Fisher.  Evidently, Fisher provided the printing ability, while Thornton was the acknowledged chart-maker. 
'The English Pilot. The Fourth Book' enjoyed a remarkable longevity, appearing in 37 editions from 1689 to 1794.

 John Seller was a pioneering British publisher of nautical charts and one of the most important figures in the early history of British cartography. Seller's shop, located near the Tower of London in Wapping, became a gathering place for seamen arriving with the latest news of distant places such as the West Indies and provided Seller with information critical to his nautical chart business. In addition to sea charts he produced a vast array of cartographic material. Seller was appointed Royal Hydrographer by Charles II in 1671, and also served under James II and William III. His English Pilot was a very ambitious project, being the first attempt by an Englishman to compete with the dominant Dutch sea atlases, led by Waghenaer's Mariner's Mirror.

Unfortunately his business was built on a shaky foundation and though he made several attempts to avoid bankruptcy including a consortium partnership with other cartographers such as William Fisher and John Thornton, he was ultimately unsuccessful.

 The charts in this atlas are appearing only in early editions of the North American volume of The English Pilot.  Only a few copies of the first edition are known all in institutional libraries.

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click on any image to enlarge.

Chart 1

Chart 2

Chart 3

Chart 4 - 5

Chart 6 - 7

Chart 8

Chart 9 - 10

Chart 11

Chart 12

Chart 13

Chart 14

Chart 15

Chart 16

Chart 17

Chart 18

Chart 19

Title page

 2/  A New Chart of the Sea Coast of Newfound land, new Scotland, new England, new Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsilvania, and part of Carolina. By John Thornton Hydrographer at the Signe of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in the Minories London.
The map extends from 'TERRA / NOVA' & 'NOVA FRANCIA' to 'Part of / CAROLINA' & 'Hattarass' Ref. Mapforum, The Charting of New England  59

 3./  A New Chart of the Trading Part of New Found Land. By John Thornton Hydrographer at the Signe of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in the Minories London..

 4./  Harbor Grace.  Part of New Found Land.
 5./ Bay Bulls.  Part of Newfound Land.
      Two charts on one sheet. No signature.

 6./ Cattalina Harbor. Part of New Found Land.
 No signature.

 7./ Port Bonavista. Part of New Found Land.
No signature.

8./ A Chart of the Caribe Ilands. By John Thornton Hydrographer at the Signe of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in the Minories London.
 Lower margins cut till neat line.

 9./ The Iland of Bermudas North Latt 32:25
10./ The Iland of Barbados. By John Thornton at y e Platt in y e Minories and by Will: Fisher at y e Postorn Gate on Tower hill London.
 Two charts on one sheet. Reference: Mapforum, Checklist of Printed Maps of Bermuda 1585 – 1778, #32.

11./  A General Chart of the West India. By John Thornton Hydrographer at the Signe of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in the Minories London.
 Inset maps of Jamaica and Barbados.

12./  A Chart of the Iland of Hispaniola. With the Windward Passage from Iamaica betwene y e  East end of Cuba and the West end of Hispaniola.
 No signature.

13./ A Chart of the Island Cuba. The Gulf of Florida with the Bahama Islands, and y e Windward Passage.
 No signature.

14./  The Island of Jamaica.
With inset of : A draft of the harbour of Port Royal and all y e Kees: 17: 50
 No signature.

15./  A New Mapp of Carolina. By John Thornton at y e Platt in y e Minories and by Will Fisher at y e Postorn Gate on Tower hill London.

16./ Virginia, Maryland, Pennsilvania, East and West New Jersey. By John Thornton.. and Will Fisher. Large folding map 513x803mm)
Famous and scarce detailed sea-chart, being the earliest printed chart of the outlet of the Chesapeake Bay. Showing the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland and New Jersey. The map was based on Augustine Herrman's extremely rare map of 1673. It includes southeastern Pennsylvania with names of settlements along the Delaware River, such as 'Philadelphia City'. Verner records 5 states of the original map, 2 states of a new engraving first published in 1743, and a pirated plate appearing in 1749 and 1767. There is also a French version published by Jaillot circa 1700 http://www.mapsofpa.com/antiquemaps18.htm

17./  Part of New England New York East New Iarsey and Long Iland.
No signature.
Appearing only in early editions of the North American volume of The English Pilot.
Thornton’s chart of Long Island is extremely rare. Allen makes a case that the chart is directly based on the famous 1675 manuscript map by Robert Ryder, and notes that after the appearance of the Thornton chart “there is a long pause in the progress of the mapping of Long Island.” It remained a model for maps of the area for well over fifty years, and “the best maps of Long Island published between 1690 and 1750 were more or less accurate copies of the Thornton chart” -- Allen. Centering on Island, the chart depicts parts of the NewYork, New Jersey, and Connecticut coastlines including New York Bay and the fledgeling city of New York. All the important towns along the Connecticut coast are shown, and Block Island is marked at the far eastern edge of the map. Campbell notes that the Thornton is “markedly superior” to other English and Dutch charts of the day.
Reference: McCorkle, New England in EarlyPrinted Maps, #689.7; Deak, Picturing America, p. 42; Campbell, English Mapping of America, #13; Allen, Long Island Maps & Their Makers, pp. 16-21. Mapforum, The Charting of New England  61

18./  Part of New England. Sold by John Thornton.. and by Will Fisher..
Ref. Mapforum, The Charting of New England , #63
http://www.mapforum.com/02/neweng2.htm#ne63

 19./  Boston Harbor in New = England.
No signature. 41x24cm.

To be included in our auction of November 10, 2006. PARIS Drouot, Salle 10.