Pennsylvania. Howell, Reading

A Map of the State of Pennsylvania by Reading Howell, MDCCXCII To Thomas Mifflin Governor ... This Map is respectfully Inscribed by the Author. [Philadelphia and London]: for the Author and sold by James Phillips, George Yard, Lombard Street, London, 1792 [1795]

Engraved map, in 48 segments mounted on linen, forming a whole 38 x 64 3/8 in.; 965 x 1635 mm, in upper right the cartouche in oval frame below a copyright statement by "Samuel Caldwell, Clerk of the District of Pennsylvania," dedication in lower right; about three-quarters of the top portion of engraved border with longitude markings supplied in penwork facsimile, small hole touching two letters in copyright statement which has a few letters strengthened in pen, soiling and abrasion in four corners, some small spots in copyright statement.

Evans 23453 and 24411; Streeter 2:980; Wheat and Brun 433 ff.

top portion of engraved border with longitude markings largely supplied in penwork facsimile, small hole touching two letters in copyright statement which has a few letters strengthened in pen, soiling and abrasion in four corners, some small spots in copyright statement.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"The best map of Pennsylvania to appear in the 18th century, and the first detailed map of the State to show its exact boundaries"(Wheat and Brun).

The earliest map of Pennsylvania to show its exact boundaries, including the western limits. For the first time on a printed map Howell records the information gathered from many original surveys made after the Revolutionary War and during a time of rapid westward expansion showing towns, roads, boundaries, donation lands, and extensive topographical detail. Originally issued in four sheets, the map was published over a period of several months, with many additions and corrections to the map of historical interest, and which are also useful in identifying the various states of the four plates.

Reading Howell had been appointed in April 1790 as one of three commissioners to explore lands near the headwaters of the Susquehanna, Lehigh and Schuylkill Rivers and, in the same year, he was granted three hundred pounds from the state treasury “to enable him to proceed in the work he has undertaken of compiling a map of this state.” He used geographic information from his own personal surveys, materials created by Nicolas and William Scull, who had mapped the colony extensively in the decades before the Revolution, as well as the abundance of military plans and records generated during the war.

Most copies known are made up of various states, the present copy combines the upper left quadrant in the sixth state (with the names of "Somerset County" and "Lycoming County" appearing), the upper and lower right quadrants in the second state (the copyright statement begins with the date 11 January but the cartouches are embellished), and the lower left in the fourth state ("Gentle Run" appears flowing into the Little Conemaugh River).