Jersey

1804 · réf. 15117 — 1804. MOORE JOSHUA J. and THOMAS W. JONES. The Traveller's Directory: or a Pocket Companion Shewing the Course of the Main Road from Philadelphia to New York; and from Philadelphia to Washington: With Descriptions of the Places through which it Passes and the Intersections of the Cross Roads . By S. S. sic Moore and T. W. Jones. Philadelphia: Mathew Carey 1804. 8vo. 4 37 1 19 i.e. 17 p. 38 engraved strip maps on 22 plates. Modern full calf correctly done in perfect period style with original spine label slightly chipped at edges remounted and original endsheets relaid. Front free endsheet chipped at fore-edge name clipped from top blank margin of title page intermittant light browning of text and foxing of maps as is usual with this book. A very good copy of a book never found in fine condition. Second edition of the second American book of road maps following Christopher Colles' exceedingly rare Survey of the Roads of the United States 1789 and the first road map book to provide detailed maps of the road from Philadelphia north through New Jersey to New York and from Philadelphia south through Delaware Maryland and Virginia to Washington. Joshua John Moore and Thomas W. Jones were young surveyors in the employ of the Philadelphia publisher Mathew Carey. From several letters they wrote to Carey during the course of the survey Lea & Febiger papers PHi a clear picture emerges of the extremely difficult task they had undertaken. On June 29 1801 they wrote from New York: "We should have written to you before this had not fatigue of our daily Journies rendered repose indispensable after the finishing of our Notes and Traverses. After twelve days driving our way through an immense multitude of Questioners Observers laughters & Critics who generally thronged around us at every place to our great discomposure at first . we are at length arrived here. If astonishment would ensure success to a work we may entertain strong hopes indeed of ours; but it has nearly exhausted our health as every violent effort naturally must." Upon completion of the surveys the maps were drawn by the surveyors. They locate crossroads streams taverns churches and other public buildings and occasionally private houses. The text describes the various towns through which the roads pass. In this second edition published two years after the first edition of 1802 the descriptive text has been extensively corrected and expanded. The maps are identical to those in the earlier edition and are printed from the same plates. unknown books