An example of the firm of Mount and Page’s ‘English Pilot Southern Navigation’ dating to 1785. It details the coasts of the British Isles and western Europe in 22 folio charts, five of which are folding. The firm and the atlas have a long and varied history back to the seventeenth century

Beginning in 1584 with the publication of Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer’s ‘Spiegel der Zeevaerdt’ the Dutch dominated the production of sea atlases. Individual works of some merit were published elsewhere, such as Sir Robert Dudley’s ‘Arcano del Mare’, 1646-48, published in Florence, and the early English attempt by James Moxon in 1657 entitled ‘Book of Sea Platts’. In England this must have been a particular source of embarrassment during the wars with the Dutch between 1652-74. The Restoration period from 1660 was marked by considerable encouragement from Charles II for the sciences. This was reflected in cartography in general, with a marked interest in improved mapping of the nation’s colonies. Much of it resulted in magnificent maps of the Americas, but it was England’s domestic waters that were the greatest embarrassment of them all. Fighting the Dutch in her own waters and having to rely on the enemy’s maps was not an ideal situation.

In stepped John Seller, ever the opportunist, who in 1669 advertised that he planned to produce “… a Sea Waggoner for the whole world with Charts and Draughts of particular places…”. The ‘English Pilot’ as it would be called appeared in five parts with a volume each devoted to the navigation of Northern and Southern, Mediterranean, Oriental, West India, and African waters. The ‘English Pilot’ ranks still as one of the great English atlases, having a long and complicated history expiring in 1803. The ‘Northern Navigation’ appeared in 1671, the ‘Southern Navigation’ appeared in 1672 followed by another part in 1677 covering the Mediterranean. The ‘Oriental Navigation’ was published in 1675 incomplete and would wait until 1703 to be finished. By now Seller was in financial difficulties and in 1677 took in partners. This can be seen as a sign of his inabilities. However, his ambitions would have stretched all but the wealthiest publisher. The partners were: William Fisher, a successful publisher whose firm later became Mount and Page; John Thornton, one of the Thames School of chart-makers at the Drapers Company, a man far more qualified than Seller to produce sea charts; James Atkinson and John Colson, eminent teachers of navigation.

The combine, as it is known, broke down two years later and its interests were distributed between them. Fisher obtained the rights for the ‘English Pilot, Southern Navigation’ and the ‘Atlas Maritimus’ of 1675, which were entered in the Stationers Register 30 November 1679. Although Seller should rightly be credited with the instigation of the ‘English Pilot’, it would fall to Fisher and Thornton to complete it. Fisher and Thornton through several marriages and partnerships developed into two main families, the Mount’s and the Page’s. Richard Mount (1654-1712) married William Fisher’s daughter Sarah. Thomas Page (fl.1700-d.33) was apprenticed to Richard Mount and became a partner around 1701.

The atlas lacks a title but the spine bears ‘English Pilot 1785’, an example of this edition survives in the Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum. The imprint is ‘Mount & Page’. In 1783 it was Messrs. Mount & Page which related to John Mount (1725-1786), William Mount (1753-1815), and Thomas Page IV (1756-97). The subtle alteration may well have been the retirement of John Mount who died the following year, 1786. The atlas contains charts of the coasts of England, Scotland, and Ireland followed by continental ones of Holland, Flanders, France, Spain, Portugal and the Barbary coast including the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Cape Verde Islands. The fine folding charts are of the southeast coast of England and the River Thames, a two sheet chart of the whole of the east coast from Kent to Blythe, Northumberland, Scotland, the British Channel, and the ‘Coast of Portugal & Barbaria’.

Provenance: Price of 12s written inside upper board; ‘Cap. William Reed 1885’ inscribed inside upper board; private English collection acquired 1978. Sanderson (1971) NMM 423; Shirley (1995); refer Shirley (2004) M.SELL-1a; Tooley (1949) p. 61; Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004); Verner (1957); Verner (1967); Verner (1978); Wallis (1978); Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).