A NEW AND ACCURATE MAP OF NORTH AMERICA, 1771

Published by Carington Bowles

This reproduction is taken from an original document, held within the Archives of the UK Hydrographic Office, Taunton, Somerset.

During the mid 17th century, Britian was challenging France as the leader of map production and cartographic development. Centred in London, a number of publishers depended upon an increasing number of reports and surveys of explorers in order to produce the 'new and most accurate' maps of the world.

In this case the publisher Carington Bowles depended heavily on the famous French cartographer, Jean Baptiste Bourguignon D'Anville for the base of this map, and up dated it with additional material taken from a variety of other sources.

D'Anville spent the whole of his life studying geography, and built a large collection of maps which were later acquired by Louis XV in 1779. He published his first map at the age of 15 and continued publishing important works until his death in 1782 aged 85 years.