A very rare early wash coloured atlas. This world atlas was published in 1801 although dated 1800. The title is engraved by G. Paton and Daniel Lizars. The maps themselves are the work of J. Menzies, S. I. Neele, Charles Thomson, and Robert Walker. The contents leaf records the price as ‘Half-Bound, finely coloured over, …£1, 14s’. The maps are in attractive contemporary wash colour, typical of the period. One of the more interesting maps is a detailed map of the east coast of Australia entitled ‘New South Wales’.

Thomas Robert Brown (1764-1820) was the presumed son of James Brown who started as a bookseller in Parliament Close, Edinburgh, sometime before 1773. In 1786 the shop changed names to T. Brown and at first Thomas is described as an engraver. In 1789 he moved to 1 North Bridge where he remained until his death. Provenance: with bookplate pasted inside front cover of Roy Harvey Johnstone O.B.E., sale at Sotheby’s 20.09.01, lot 61; Moir (1973) RSGS vol. 1 pp. 126-7 & 137, vol. 2 p. 153; Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).