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Mathew Carey (1760-1839) was an American publisher who founded what would become the largest American publishing house of the nineteenth century. As a young man, he emigrated from Dublin to Philadelphia in 1784. A year later, in 1785, he set up a print shop and publishing house, where he was primarily a publisher of journals and serials, including the Pennsylvania Evening Herald. His first cartographic production, A General Atlas for the Present War, was issued in 1794. It is largely based on maps drawn from William Guthrie’s Atlas to Guthrie’s System of Geography, a popular text book of the period first issued in London in 1770.

In 1795, Carey published The General Atlas for Carey’s Edition of Guthrie’s Geography Improved, which included sixteen maps of the American States. These maps, plus five others, were issued under the title American Atlas later in 1795. The American Atlas holds the distinction of being the earliest general atlas of the United States. Engravers included William Barker, Joseph T. Scott, James Thackery and John Vallance of Philadelphia, Samuel Hill of Boston, Amos Doolittle of New Haven, Connecticut, and Benjamin Tanner of New York. Samuel Lewis served as geographer, draftsman, mapmaker and penman, and made substantial contributions to the work. Later, he partnered with Aaron Arrowsmith of London.

In 1796, Carey released his General Atlas, which included maps of the rest of the world. This work was issued with periodic updates through 1818. A second edition of Carey’s American Atlas was published in 1809, expanding the American coverage to 26 maps. During this time period, two of the maps which were offered with the atlas do not appear in all editions, Lewis’ map of the United States and his map of the Old Northwest Territory, which was published to illustrate the United States’ new land rights obtained in the Treaty of Grenville. Carey would also publish the first miniature atlas published in America, his American Pocket Atlas, published from 1796 to 1814.

Mathew Carey retired in 1822, leaving his son Henry Charles Carey and his son-in-law Isaac Lea the publishing house he had built over the prior four decades. He died in 1839. The pair conducted business as Carey & Lea, during which time they published A Complete Historical, Chronological and Geographical Atlas from 1822 to 1827. This work included roughly twenty maps engraved by Fielding Lucas Jr., as well as an American edition of Starling’s Cabinet Atlas. However, the firm increasingly turned away from cartographic publications.

Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1796
Size:
11 x 17 inches Book Size
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
69145
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1817
Size:
12 x 18 inches Book Size
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
68420
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1818
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
64057
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14.5 x 17.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
101126
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15.5 x 9 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99918
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
46044
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
20.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
60937
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1818
Size:
18 x 11 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
101819
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
20 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
102604
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
18.5 x 11 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
98383
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
12 x 18.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
91746
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
6 x 8 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
100506
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
15.5 x 17.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
96108
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
18 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
98251
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
5.5 x 7.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
62979
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
18.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
76215
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
7.5 x 6.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100494
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
19 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
52784
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
15 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75980
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
12 x 18.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
75885
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
6 x 7.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
83278
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17.5 x 15.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
79732
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
12.5 x 15.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
98696
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
9 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
76465
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1796
Size:
7.5 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
91850
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
7.5 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100504
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
15 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75694
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
20 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99013
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
8 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
78093
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
18.5 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
79252
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
15 x 10 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
98707
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
18 x 12.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
57687
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795
Size:
13.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
99004
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
8 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
100492
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
7.5 x 5.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
100502
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17 x 15 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
86830
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
5.5 x 7.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100488
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
6 x 7.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
100491
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1805
Size:
7.5 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
100503
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
19 x 15 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
57752

Archived

Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1804
Size:
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
68226
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1795 (1809 ca)
Size:
35 x 24.5 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
62695
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
23447
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
19701
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814 (1818)
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
26972
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
42394
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
45212
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
52341
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
58421
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
63535
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
71254
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
7240
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814 (1818)
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
39654
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
55949
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14.5 x 17.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
79698
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
24746
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
26284
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1818
Size:
17 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
26841
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
48362
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1818
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
53676
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1818
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
56771
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14.5 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
78375
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
12.5 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
74063
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
12.5 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
78219
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
20.5 x 9.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
79720
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1809
Size:
20 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
21430
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
33701gm
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
46080
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
46705
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1816
Size:
17 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
52616
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
12.5 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
71233
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
20.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
78469
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
12.5 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
72191
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
42133
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
17.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
46672
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
61953
Place/Date:
Philadelphia / 1814
Size:
14.5 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
71278