Chart of the Tradeing part of the East I…

Rare navigational sea chart from John Seller&#8217s Atlas Maritimus or a Book of Charts, extending from India to the East Indies, north to the coast of China and Formosa, with an inset of Japan first published in 1675. Seller&#8217s Atlas Maritimus and Thornton&#8217s related English Pilot have a complicated and confusing publishing history due the many editions and numerous combination of owners. Additionally Seller varied the contents of each atlas according to the purchaser&#8217s individual requirements making identification of the various editions and states even more difficult. John Thornton had collaborated with Seller in many of his publications and it was Thornton&#8217s skill as an engraver that played an important part in the production of the various editions of Seller&#8217s Atlas Maritimus. Thornton was to later publish his own sea atlas The English Pilot The Third Book 1703 which included a different map of the East Indies. The chart contains detailed information previously thought only to be known to the Dutch. Thornton was likely to have had access to this information for two reasons. Firstly his position as Hydrographer of the English East India Company gave him access to all the navigational information acquired by that company and secondly, because at the time William III was not only King of England but Stadtholder of the United Provinces, which led to closer cooperation between the two countries. From Thornton&#8217s Atlas Maritimus or a Book of Charts. References: Burden p.361, Moreland pp.157-158, Thornton, p.xv 31, ill.pp. 72-73.