The turn of the eighteenth century witnessed the production of a number of fine atlases in England. Many of these were distinguished by beautiful rich wash colouring unique to this period. Laurie and Whittle achieved with their New and Elegant Imperial Sheet Atlas arguably the finest work of its type, with the large-scale maps finely embellished . They were among the leading mapmakers of the age. Their handsome atlas gives a complete portrait of the world during one of the most notorious periods in European history, the Napoleonic era. Many of the maps are on oversized folding sheets, and all are based on the best extant sources. Included are a fabulous world map and large suite of maps of the United States in its infancy. These include a general map of the United States of America (no. 48), which shows the new nation extending no further west than the Mississippi River, and three desirable regional maps (nos. 49-51) which show the original thirteen colonies plus the neighbouring unsettled regions of the Mid-South and the Ohio Valley. In addition, there are fine separate maps of China and Japan, plus maps of the then unexplored regions such as Africa.