Joseph Scott was a Philadelphia engraver and publisher who engraved a number of important early state maps for Matthew Carey, a fellow Philadelphian. In 1795, Scott published the first Gazetteer of the United States containing 19 maps of the United States and its territories. Scott engraved all of the maps, as he explains in his preface: "The maps I have drawn and engraved myself, and I trust they will be found, on examination, as accurate as circumstances would admit, and probably more so than any collection of maps that has hitherto been published in the United States." His maps represent some of the earliest published maps of individual states and the western territory, and were drawn, of course, with Philadelphia as the prime meridian. The associated text includes substantive information on the young Republic, with details on the history, geography, natural history, architecture, and more of individual states and regions. This example contains 17 (of 19) maps: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, N.W. Territory, S.W. Territory, Vermont, and Virginia. The two missing maps are Kentucky (present but tattered) and the United States.

The map N.W. Territory is the earliest printed map to show the North West Territory. It covers the region of the upper Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes, and shows the rivers and streams together with settlements, mines, and forts. Lit. Fort appears at the mouth of the Chicago River, and Old Ft. Orleans appears on the Missouri River. The southern end of Lake Michigan is placed almost a full degree further north than the southern shore of Lake Erie, an error that resulted in a series of boundary disputes between Michigan and its neighbors in the 19th century. The fictitious Charlevoix-Bellin islands appear in Lake Superior. This is the first state with small, plain circle icons to locate the towns like Detroit and Sandusky.

The map S.W. Territory is the first state; later states of this map change the title to "Tennassee." While simply drawn, the map includes interesting information including the locations of early settlements, military reservations, and Indian villages. The Mero district is located and divided into three counties: Sumner, Davidson, and Tennassee. Nashville is here called Naskville. Fort Massac is shown on the Ohio River, and there is a note near Knoxville describing the way to Pensacola as being nearly level. The map includes a portion of the adjoining states of Kentucky and Georgia.

17 (of 19 maps); title page; iii-vi; errata; 292 pages (unpaginated). Contemporary full calf with black morocco label and gilt titling on spine.

References: Howes #S-237; Ristow, p. 154; Sabin #78331; Wheat & Brun #125.

Condition: B

The folding maps are fair to very good, with most of the maps being good. Overall, the maps have some light soiling, staining, and occasional creasing adjacent to the folds. The map of Maine has a tear at upper right with a 2x2" section at top right almost detached. The map of New York has a 3" tear at top, and the Northwest Territory map has a small chip at lower right. Text has scattered foxing and occasional dampstains. Covers are moderately scuffed and worn.