James Rennell (1742-1830). A Bengal Atlas: Containing Maps of the Theatre of War and Commerce on that Side of Hindoostan. London: James Rennell, 1780. 4to. [28.5 x 22.5 cm].
James Rennell, the Father of Oceanography and the Father of Indian Geography, was appointed by Robert Clive to survey the newly-captured country of India as the chief surveyor and cartographer to the East India Company in 1763. He is widely regarded as the maker of the first accurate map of Hindoostan (India) published in 1782, at one inch to five miles.
As the Surveyor General of Bengal, James Rennell published his monumental “A Bengal Atlas” in London in 1780 and dispatched most of the print run to India for use by his fellow officers. Very few of the original 1780 editions are extant at present because the main consignment sent by ship from London to India in July 1780 was captured by the Spanish en route. The ship was damaged by water and fire, and almost all copies of the 1780-publication were destroyed. Thanks to this setback, Rennell was forced to issue a second, revised edition in 1781; the vast majority of copies seen in the market are thus of the second edition.
An extremely rare and collectible copy, in contemporary fine binding, some pages have minor age-related browning, else internally in very good condition. The copy bears an old, contemporary signature, probably of the original owner of the book.
