[Senex, John and Charles Price, Sr

Tall narrow folio (690 x 290mm.), 34 engraved folding maps (20 on 2 sheets joined and 14 full-page), printed index pasted inside front cover and one page catalogue of maps pasted inside back cover, maps dated between 1708 and 1725, all but the first map (Whiston's Solar system) in contemporary hand colour, contemporary rough calf, map of the world torn (but without loss), some tears to folds and slight marginal fraying, binding slightly worn

Shirley, British Library T.SEN 1f

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This and Willdey’s atlas (see previous lot) had their origin in the partnership of Charles Price Sr and John Senex in 1707. Price and Senex joined together to publish a "New sett of correct maps" (Daily Courant, 24 September 1707), a series of maps printed on two sheets joined, to be issued separately, but with the intention of forming an atlas of twenty maps, with Price the mapmaker and Senex the engraver.

As with many of the atlas projects of this date, the partners were soon in financial trouble, and the partnership was dissolved. Price left the partnership, taking some of the map plates, to join George Willdey and Timothy Brandreth. Thus, the two former partners both had the core of a world atlas, and proceeded to engrave new plates to make their own rival editions.

Price, Brandreth and Willdey advertised their set of maps in the Post Man on 23-25 August 1711. Senex advertised his atlas in the Spectator for 1 October 1711. Willdey's atlas is appreciably rarer as maps were only a small side-line of his business.

This example of Willdey’s atlas is datable to about 1732, when he placed the following advertisement in the Daily Post (for 3rd February):

"Cheap, useful instructive & diverting Ornaments for Halls, Rooms, Passages &c being 24 Two-sheet Maps for 8d each… The two sheets are printed upon the best Paper, neatly colour'd & illustrated with curious Ornaments; the names of them are, the World upon the Meridian Projection, one ditto upon the Horizon, Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Great Britain, England, Ireland, 30 Miles round London, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Muscovy, Sweden & Denmark, Turky in Europe, Hungary, Flanders, Suabia, ancient Greece, Yorkshire, correctly done and the best map of the Roads of England”

The advertisement matches the Willdey maps in the present copy; they are supplemented with Senex’s maps of the United Provinces (Netherlands) and Poland, later insertions apparently added by the original owner, who has also added them to the manuscript contents list at front (in the same hand, but a slightly different ink).

The Senex atlas is in the mature form attained post-1728, notoriously difficult to date after that point, with the undated index leaf at the front. Pasted at the end is a Mary Senex broadsheet catalogue datable to 1748, referring to the eclipse of that year, and presumably reflecting the approximate date of composition. The atlas is in the fine original wash body colour associated with the best copies.