Delamarche - Atlas Moderne - 1783






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Atlas Moderne, published in Paris by Delamarche in 1783 and bound in half leather, is a French language geography atlas comprising 154 pages.
Description from the seller
The blue of the sky, the colors of the world: the art of Enlightenment cartography
A work of great aesthetic and cartographic charm, Delamarche's Atlas Moderne is a significant example of the transition between eighteenth-century cartography and scientific dissemination. The 28 double-page maps, many vividly colored, combine geographical rigor with an educational purpose. The final addition of the 'Idée de la sphère,' printed on blue paper, emphasizes the focus on elementary cosmography, with an Enlightenment sensibility that intertwines encyclopedic knowledge and the aspiration for the universal dissemination of knowledge.
Market value
Complete copies of the Petit Atlas Moderne rarely appear on the antique market. Similar copies generally range between 2,000 and 4,000 euros, with fluctuations depending on the freshness of the coloring and the quality of the binding. Copies featuring the 'Idée de la sphère' on blue paper are particularly appreciated by collectors of 18th-century educational cartography.
Physical description and condition
Contemporary half leather binding, marbled boards, refurbished spine. Contains 28 double-page cards, 26 with colored borders and 2 astronomical plates in black. Finally, 'Idée de la sphère,' a 34-page work on blue paper, a new, revised, and corrected edition by Delamarche. Manuscript ex-libris 'Camille Buin,' with various drawings in childish handwriting on the first blank page. Pages (2); 116 numbered pages; 34 pages (2).
Full title and author
Small Modern Atlas or Collection of Elementary Maps Dedicated to Youth.
Paris, Delamarche, [1783].
Charles-François Delamarche.
Context and Significance
This cartographic collection is born with a clearly pedagogical intent: to provide young students with an accessible yet scientifically grounded tool for geographical learning. The maps, precise in their representation but simplified for educational use, reflect the growing role of cartography as a discipline no longer reserved for navigators and military personnel, but open to the educated public. The addition of the 'Idée de la sphère' broadens the work into the field of elementary cosmography, offering a compendium that intertwines geography, astronomy, and natural sciences from an Enlightenment perspective.
Author Biography
Charles-François Delamarche (1740-1817) was one of the most renowned Parisian geographers and publishers of the late eighteenth century. A student and successor of Robert de Vaugondy, he acquired his workshop in 1786, publishing globes, atlases, and cartographic instruments distinguished by clarity and rigor. His production, aimed at both scholars and education, contributed to the dissemination of modern geography and to the formation of a broader audience.
Printing history and circulation
The work was published in Paris without a specific date but is generally attributed to 1783. It belongs to a type of reduced atlases that were widely used in schools and among elite families, making cartography accessible to a new audience. The success of the Petit Atlas Moderne led Delamarche to reissue and update the work in subsequent editions. Copies with the final section of the 'Idée de la sphère' on blue paper are considered rarer and more sought after.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Pastoureau, Atlantes, 18th century.
Phillips, Atlases, no. 689.
Sellers & Van Ee, Maps and Atlases of North America.
Tooley, Dictionary of Mapmakers.
BnF, bibliographic notice for 'Petit atlas moderne'.
#CollectorsFairOctober
Seller's Story
The blue of the sky, the colors of the world: the art of Enlightenment cartography
A work of great aesthetic and cartographic charm, Delamarche's Atlas Moderne is a significant example of the transition between eighteenth-century cartography and scientific dissemination. The 28 double-page maps, many vividly colored, combine geographical rigor with an educational purpose. The final addition of the 'Idée de la sphère,' printed on blue paper, emphasizes the focus on elementary cosmography, with an Enlightenment sensibility that intertwines encyclopedic knowledge and the aspiration for the universal dissemination of knowledge.
Market value
Complete copies of the Petit Atlas Moderne rarely appear on the antique market. Similar copies generally range between 2,000 and 4,000 euros, with fluctuations depending on the freshness of the coloring and the quality of the binding. Copies featuring the 'Idée de la sphère' on blue paper are particularly appreciated by collectors of 18th-century educational cartography.
Physical description and condition
Contemporary half leather binding, marbled boards, refurbished spine. Contains 28 double-page cards, 26 with colored borders and 2 astronomical plates in black. Finally, 'Idée de la sphère,' a 34-page work on blue paper, a new, revised, and corrected edition by Delamarche. Manuscript ex-libris 'Camille Buin,' with various drawings in childish handwriting on the first blank page. Pages (2); 116 numbered pages; 34 pages (2).
Full title and author
Small Modern Atlas or Collection of Elementary Maps Dedicated to Youth.
Paris, Delamarche, [1783].
Charles-François Delamarche.
Context and Significance
This cartographic collection is born with a clearly pedagogical intent: to provide young students with an accessible yet scientifically grounded tool for geographical learning. The maps, precise in their representation but simplified for educational use, reflect the growing role of cartography as a discipline no longer reserved for navigators and military personnel, but open to the educated public. The addition of the 'Idée de la sphère' broadens the work into the field of elementary cosmography, offering a compendium that intertwines geography, astronomy, and natural sciences from an Enlightenment perspective.
Author Biography
Charles-François Delamarche (1740-1817) was one of the most renowned Parisian geographers and publishers of the late eighteenth century. A student and successor of Robert de Vaugondy, he acquired his workshop in 1786, publishing globes, atlases, and cartographic instruments distinguished by clarity and rigor. His production, aimed at both scholars and education, contributed to the dissemination of modern geography and to the formation of a broader audience.
Printing history and circulation
The work was published in Paris without a specific date but is generally attributed to 1783. It belongs to a type of reduced atlases that were widely used in schools and among elite families, making cartography accessible to a new audience. The success of the Petit Atlas Moderne led Delamarche to reissue and update the work in subsequent editions. Copies with the final section of the 'Idée de la sphère' on blue paper are considered rarer and more sought after.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Pastoureau, Atlantes, 18th century.
Phillips, Atlases, no. 689.
Sellers & Van Ee, Maps and Atlases of North America.
Tooley, Dictionary of Mapmakers.
BnF, bibliographic notice for 'Petit atlas moderne'.
#CollectorsFairOctober
