Bowles's New One-Sheet Map Of New England;

London, 1796. No Binding. Near Fine. 25 x 20 ½ inches. Fine original wash color, slightly refreshed; light centerfold discoloration, else excellent condition. This attractive, separately published map provides a fascinating portrait of the borders of the former New England colonies at a time when some were in the process of becoming states. For example, this was one of the first maps to show Vermont as a state (admitted 1791). A note near the top printed border makes direct reference to its status: "This state extends Northward to the 45.th Degree of Latitude." The Bowles is also one of the earliest collectible maps of New England to show town and city borders as well as the early road network of New England. In northern New England can be seen the names of owners of land grants and the ranges of their properties. Southern Maine and northern New Hampshire are called the "Eastern Part of Massachuests" on the map. An interesting inset plan of Boston and vicinity shows the military situation there just after the Battle of Bunker Hill. The plan's legend provides a detailed account not only of the locations of Boston's fortifications and gun emplacements but also their composition. "A battery of eight 24 Pounders on Corps Hill" reads one of the notes. "Bunkers Hill" appears in another. The map was based on a four-sheet work by Braddock Mead, published by Thomas Jefferys in 1755. However, the various Bowles editions of the map vary significantly enough from the Jefferys in their depiction of Vermont and New Hampshire as to suggest additional sources for the Bowles. For example, Bowles included several large lakes in these areas not found on the Jefferys. Tooley, R. V. Mapping of America, p. 70, no. 32f; cf. Benes, P. New England Prospect, pp. 15-16; McCorkle 765.1, state 4; Fite and Freeman, A Book of Old Maps, no. 60.