by Coolie Verner

ENGRAVED TITLE PLATES are found in atlases printed well into the eighteenth century. McKerrow [1] notes that such plates in books, especially in larger books, reached the peak of fashion in the early years of the seventeenth century but their use in atlases appears to have been common for a much longer time. The use of title-plates has not been studied extensively and collations of atlases seldom describe the plates or do much more than merely mention their existence when appropriate. [2] Since they are an integral and often crucial element in many atlases, the analysis of title-plates in relation to the text and maps should not be neglected for not only are they useful in determining the sequence of publication or gathering of an atlas but also they provide data on publishing practices in the map trade.

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Early atlas publishers made and used engraved title-plates as the sole title-page, as a decorative adjunct to a typographic title page, or as sub-title pages to separate sections or to introduce separate volumes of an atlas. In many cases a publisher had several different designs in stock so that when more than one was required for different functions, a different design could be used for each. [3] Engraved title-plates are of three basic types :

Type I Decorative
Some title-plates were intended primarily for decoration. Such plates rarely contained any detailed information about the volume or publisher and any such information was integrated into the decorative design cut on the plate. Plates of this type are found in volumes of maps gathered on request from sheets in stock. Often they were used in conjunction with a typographic title-page or to separate sections or volumes.

Type II Informational
Title-plates were frequently designed to fulfill the normal functions of a title- page. In so doing they provided such bibliographical data as title and imprint. This informa-tion might be integrated into the decorative design but it was usually engraved on the plate in special panels provided for that purpose in the design. Most plates appear to have one main panel for the title with a smaller secondary panel on the bottom of the plate for an imprint. Such plates were limited to the volume for which they were designed such as that in Homann’s Atlas Novus. When the plate was to be used for some other volume a separately printed slip was cut and pasted over the original material engraved in the panel. This practice was followed by Jansson in his Novus Atlas where the original title in Latin was covered by a paste-on slip appropriate for the language of the text. These plates were rarely used with typographic title-pages.

Type III Independent
A logical outgrowth of Type II plates were those designed for multiple use in which the panel was left blank. This could be readily adapted to any book by putting an appropriate title and imprint into the blank panel. This was accomplished in three ways:

1. The title and imprint were set in letterpress and printed directly into the blank space left on the previously printed title-plate impressions. This involved careful registry at the press. Most plates of this type that have been examined show the sequence of printing by the letterpress over-running the engraved matter.
2. The title and imprint were printed on slips which were cut and pasted in place as indicated in Type II plates.
3. The title and imprint were engraved on a small plate cut to fit the blank space. These were then added to impressions from the title plate by being
   a.    printed in separate sheets and cut and pasted in place,
   b.    printed directly on the impression by a separate press run, and,
   c.    printed at the same time as the plate by inserting the small plate into a hole cut into the larger plate.

Engraved title-plates were often subjected to changes such as the altering of an imprint or the re-touching of the plate to prolong its useful printing life. The engraved title plate (Type II) used with Collins’ Coasting Pilot was altered five times for the twenty editions of the work published between 1693 and 1792. [4] Engraved insets were also altered so that changes in an inset may or may not coincide with changes in the plate.

The study reported here examines the title-plates and insets used in the several atlases initiated by John Seller in the latter half of the seventeenth century. These illustrate the potential utility of such additional analysis to supplement the study of the text and maps in order to achieve a complete printing history of an atlas. In addition, the study points out some publishing practices in the map trade at the time.

John Seller was an entrepreneur with lofty ambitions which exceeded his ability and resources. He was primarily an instrument maker and a specialist in navigation but he wished also to be a publisher. To this end, he initiated the first marine atlas to be published in England of English origins and thereby founded the English chart trade that ultimately challenged the dominance of Dutch publishers in the world markets. Seller began his activities in this arena with an advertisement and proposal published in 1669 [5] which indicated that he planned to produce ‘. . . a Sea Waggoner for the whole world with Charts and Draughts of particular places . . . .’

By 1672, Seller published two volumes related to the coasts of England and the first two volumes of his projected ‘Sea Waggoner’ under the general title The English Pilot, which covered the northern and southern navigation. Although printed in London, the majority of the charts in these two volumes were printed from ‘. . . old worn Dutch plates . . .’ that had been abandoned by their original owner. Nevertheless, on the strength of this and some highly placed connections, Seller was granted a Royal Privilege which prohibited the importation of Dutch charts that gave him a virtual monopoly.

Even with this protection, Seller could not survive. He over-extended his resources by attempting to do too much too quickly rather than doing one thing at a time. Among other things, he prepared and printed engraved title-plates for all of his pro-jected volumes, he over-printed the letterpress sheets and the Dutch plates from his first two volumes, and he prepared and printed maps not related to his central project. His sales were poor for his charts were either Dutch originals or poor copies from the Dutch that did not mislead those for whom they were intended.


In 1677, Seller thought to evade bankruptcy by forming a ‘combine’ consisting of himself, John Thornton the noted chartmaker, William Fisher the successful nautical publisher, and two mathematicians who specialized in teaching navigation, James Atkinson and John Colson. This group completed and published a new volume of The English Pilot covering the Mediterranean in that year. The charts in this volume were new and made locally with most of the work from Thornton’s shop. After this, the ‘combine’ re-issued some of Seller’s earlier works.

The ‘combine’ was disbanded in 1679 when title to The English Pilot and the Atlas Maritimus were transferred to William Fisher. Both Fisher and Thornton appear to have retained the bulk of the stock although Sellers was left with some plates and a quantity of printed sheets. Colson and Atkinson obviously had only minor interests.

After forming the ‘combine’, Seller continued his attempt to be a map publisher and issued the Atlas Terrestris which contained a minimum of maps by Seller and many which were printed by noted publishers on the Continent. He also initiated another scheme in which he planned to survey all the counties of England and publish the maps under the title Atlas Anglicanus. This plan too was abortive. From 1680 until his death in 1697, Seller attempted to recoup his losses by re-issuing earlier publica¬tions made up largely from remainder stock, by publishing miniature editions of some of his earlier work, and by new works. None of these were successful and he was not even successful in making good instruments for the Navy from which he had a contract.

William Fisher and John Thornton had greater abilities and resources than Seller so they were able to continue the project. Together they completed a new volume of the Pilot in 1689 which covered the West Indies. [6] Separately they published other works such as the Atlas Maritimus. Fisher and his son-in-law and partner, Richard Mount, published some volumes using the original plates and, after Fisher died in 1691, Mount and Thornton worked together for a time on others. In 1703, John Thornton published another new volume of the Pilot on the Oriental Navigation. [7]

After John Seller’s death, his youngest son and heir, Jeremiah, acquired the remainder stock of sheets and the plates that remained in Seller’s possession. He had Charles Price as a partner both in making instruments and in publishing. He issued the final volume of the Pilot on Africa in 1701. Like father like son was the fate of Jeremiah as he too went bankrupt and lost everything including his contract for instruments from the navy. Most of his stock of plates and sheets were acquired by Richard Mount who had taken Thomas Page into partnership by that time and the firm of Mount and Page was formed.

John Thornton died in 1706 and was followed by his son, Samuel, who continued to publish some items with Mount. At his death in 1715, most of the plates owned by the Thornton firm were acquired by Mount and Page. This firm continued to publish The English Pilot through the whole of the eighteenth century.

The activities of these several individuals created a bibliographical monstrosity that is not yet clarified. [8] The task of clarification is confused by a number of factors: plates and texts were over-printed so that large remainder stocks were available and used in such a way as to confound the sequence of gathering; volumes were gathered on demand so that copies rarely have identical contents; [9] maps were used in several different volumes simultaneously and often the impressions used were from states of the plates out of sequence; the survival rate of copies has been exceedingly poor; those that survive have on occasions been mishandled in libraries, [10] and some book¬sellers are indifferent to bibliographical form and have produced ‘sophisticated’ copies to make a sale [11]. Under such circumstances any bibliographical analysis is suspect.

For the particular series of publications discussed here, the engraved title-plates and insets have proven to be particularly important evidence. In view of the extreme scarcity of some of the volumes, it has been necessary to assume that the example found was typical of a class and not a unique item. Consequently, this analysis may be altered by the discovery of additional copies that are variants.