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Description

Large detailed map of the Southeastern United States, from Virginia and the Chesapeake to Northern Florida and the Panhandle, West Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and the Mississippi, extending north to the Missouri River and Western Territory. The map was issued during the fascinating decade after 1800, prior to the formation of many of the early territories after the original 13 colonies. The map pre-dates the appearance of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan in the Northwest, showing only Western Territory. The Illinois and Wabash Company lands are shown. The region west of the Mississippi is called Low Swamp Land. The map predates Mississippi and Alabama Territories, noting mostly the lands of the Creek, Seminoles, Chactaw, Chickasaw and Cherokees in a massive Georgia, with many early annotations. East and West Florida also appear in large format, noting many Indian Tribes, Villages and other details. Western Georgia includes notes on Indian Hunting Grounds and a number of forts which were destroyed along the Yasoo River in the early 1700s and forts on the Mississippi and other rivers. In all, a terrific map. A fold split and tear have been repaired on the verso and there is a bit of color loss, but overall a good example of a map which rarely appears on the market.

John Pinkerton Biography

John Pinkerton (1758-1826) was Scottish literary critic, historian, poet, and geographer. From age twelve he educated himself at home in Edinburgh, as his father had declined to send him to university. His father instead apprenticed John to a lawyer, William Aytoun, but the boy did not like the legal profession. In his spare time, the young man wrote poetry and collected Scottish ballads, which he tried to have published. After the death of his father, Pinkerton moved to London in 1781, to be closer to the vibrant literary scene.

Pinkerton’s earliest publications were collections of ballads. However, a fellow critic uncovered that Pinkerton had forged several of the “ancient” poems and published accusations against Pinkerton in the Gentleman’s Magazine. Throughout the 1780s, Pinkerton published poetry, works on numismatics, and historical works. He corresponded with Sir Walter Scott, Horace Walpole, and Edward Gibbon, but most of his friendships ended in acrimony. Pinkerton was a hypochondriac, unorthodox about morality and religion, and a prickly personality who lived with several women during his lifetime, marrying illegally at least once.

After 1800, Pinkerton turned to geographical works. In 1802 he published Modern Geography, a text that was quite popular and translated into French and Italian. In 1808-15, he produced a New Modern Atlas, which was well received, followed by A General Collection of Voyages and Travels (1808-14). Soon after these projects, Pinkerton moved to Paris, where he lived until he died in 1826.