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 pair of maps depict two groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean -- Hawaii and the Northern Marianas. The sheet of the Hawaiian islands shows the track of Captain Cook's voyage in 1778 and includes an extensive description of the islands, which is continued on the second sheet. The second sheet shows the Northern Marianas from Farallon de Pajaros to Alamagan and extends east to include several of the Marshall Islands.

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Condition: B+

Nice impressions with contemporary color on bright sheets. The Hawaiian sheet has several extraneous creases.