[Atlas]

>Early edition of Sanson’s atlas Cartes générales de toutes les parties du monde, before title page. Illustrated with 74 double page maps in original outline color, according to manuscript index. Maps are dated as late as 1655.

Mariette was impecunious and had to spread the publication of the maps over several years. The first appearance of Sanson’s maps of the world, occurs in 1652 as a collection of maps but composed like a world atlas. The same atlas is hold in the BnF and is dated 1652 through its ex-libris.
The atlas should have been published around 1655 before the appearance of a title page. The first edition of Cartes générales de toutes les parties du monde was published with a title page in 1658.

The map of North America “Amérique Septentrionale /1650” is in state 2, c. 1651. A new coastline to the north-west California, and the placenames to the north have been erased. Conibas is moved towards the west. The Açores are engraved, and there are now graduations every 5°, Lake Ontario is still unshaded along its shores. It is the first map to delineate the five Great Lakes in a recognisable form. (Burden, The Mapping of North America, 294, State 2).

The atlas Cartes générales de toutes les parties du monde can be regarded as the first French world atlas, if we neglect the secondary publications of Tavernier’s Théâtre […] de tout le monde and of the small Trésor des cartes géographiques.

Nicolas Sanson was to bring about the rise of French cartography, although the fierce competition of the Dutch would last until the end of the century. His success was partly owing to the partnership with the publisher Pierre Mariette. In 1644 the latter had purchased the business of Melchior Tavernier, and helped Sanson with financial support in producing the maps. In 1657 Pierre Marriette died, however his son, also named Pierre, co-published Les Cartes Générales de toutes les parties du Monde. the following year.

List of contents :
Mappe-Monde – L’Hydrographie – Asie – Asia Vetus - Afrique – Africa Vetus - Europe – Europa Vetus - Amérique Septentrionale – Amérique Méridionale – Angleterre Escosse et Irlande – Britannicae Insulae - Ancien Royaume de Kent, d’Essex, et de Sussex – Provinces de d’West – Ancien Royaume de Mercie et East-Angles – La Scandinavie – Baltia quae et Scandia, Finningia… - Estats du Czar ou Grand Duc de la Russie Blanche – Carte Générale du royaume de France – Gallia Vetus – Galliae Antiquae - Rivières de la France – Postes qui traversent la France – Picardie, Artois, Boulenois, et pays Reconquis – Normandie – Isle de France, Champagne, Lorraine & - Diocèse, Prévosté et Eslection de Paris – Bretagne – Gouvernement général d’Orléans – Les Deux Bourgognes Duché et Comté – Lyonnois – Guienne et Gascogne – Languedoc – Daufiné – Provence – Allemagne – Germania Antiqua – Palatinat du Rhein, Alsace et partie de la Suabe – Cleves, et Juliers, Mayence, Treves, et Cologne – Picardie et les Pays Bas Catholiques – Les Suisses – Le Tirol – Bavière – Royaume de Bohême – Silésie, Moravie et Lusace – Haute Saxe – Brandebourg – Poméranie – Pologne – L’Espagne – Hispaniae Antiquae - Castille Vielle, Leon, Gallice, Asturie, Biscaie – Navarre – Castille Nouvelle, Andalousie, Grenade et Murcie – Arragon, Catalogne, Valence et les Isles de Majorque – Partie Septentrionale du Royaume de Portugal – Partie Méridionale du Royaume de Portugal – L’Italie – Italia Antiqua – Haute Lombardie, Savoye, Piémont, Milan, Gênes – Basse Lombardie, Venise, Mantoue, Parme, Modène – Estats de l’Eglise et de Toscane – Royaume de Naples – Calabre, le far de Messine – Sicile – Corse, Sardaigne – Estas de l’Empire du Grand Seigneur des Turqs – Estas de l’Empire des Turqs en Europe – L’Empire Romain en Occident - L’Empire Romain en Orient – Sarmatia – Germano-Sarmatia – Graeciae Antiquae – Palestinae sive Terrae Sanctae.