The American Atlas

American Atlas : A Geographical Description of the Whole Continent of America by Thomas Jefferys, Geographer to the King and others.

 The American Atlas, dated 1776, stands as the most comprehensive, detailed and accurate survey of the American colonies at the beginning of the Revolution, and it is very likely to have been consulted by American, English, and French civilian administrators and military officers during the revolution.

Following an appeal to raise funds The Leighton Library’s copy of the American Atlas underwent extensive renovation in 2019, by Helen Creasy of The Scottish Conservation Studio,. A list of our kind sponsors is on display in the Museum.

We are proud to include 24 of the maps in this collection. Some of the maps have personal stories of Scots who emigrated to the USA around the time this Atlas was produced.

Maps