Vandermaelen was the son of a wealthy industrialist who abandoned his father's business to follow a career in cartography. His goal was to produce the first atlas ever published in which every map was drawn on the same projection and to the same scale (1: 1,641,836), with each map covering an area of approximately 20 degrees of longitude (from Paris) and 6 degrees of latitude. Because of the consistent scale and projection, the maps could be joined together to form a huge globe that would measure over 25 feet in diameter. Vandermaelen had the only known globe constructed from his maps, requiring a special room for its display. It was also the first lithographic atlas ever published. There was one edition of the atlas, published in 1825-27, and the subscription list shows that only 810 copies were sold. Koeman called his Atlas Universel, "One of the most remarkable world atlases ever made. Far ahead of its time."

This fine, large-scale map depicts the Tonga (or Friendly) islands and includes the southeastern portion of the Fiji islands as well. The inset text block describes the explorations of the islands by Tasman and Cook, as well as the flora, fauna and inhabitants of the islands. This map is from the Atlas Universel, the first atlas to present all the maps on the same scale (1: 1,641,836), with each map covering an area of approximately 20 degrees of longitude (from Paris) and 6 degrees of latitude. The atlas was also the first lithographic atlas ever published. There was only one edition, published in 1825-27, and the subscription list shows that 810 copies were sold.

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Condition: A

Original color on a clean, bright sheet with a minor amount of offsetting in the title.