Fairbanks' Pocket Atlas of the United States and Miniature Railway Guide, with Illustrations ...
New York: Schonberg & Co, 1859. Scarce pocket atlas and railway guide to the United States in the period preceding the transcontinental railroad, with 30 individual color state railway maps, from Maine down to Texas and across to California, showing existing rail lines and accompanied with charts listing completed railway line distances. Cuba is also represented in a map with two short lengths of railway shown.
The Atlas with many illustrated advertisements for E & T. Fairbanks & Co.'s industrial scales. Founded in 1823, Fairbanks became an extremely successful manufacturer of the platform scale, which allowed the weighing of large objects much more accurately, giving more accurate calculations of value (for example, the value of a wagon load of farm produce).
The Atlas includes an Appendix with list of Railways "now or soon to be opened for traffic", which records the State Island Railway from Stapleton S.I. to opposite South Amboy (14 miles) "will be opened about January 1860".
16mo, v, 61pp including Appendix. 5 3/4 x 4". A ruffled, printed tan front wrapper; stitch bound. We have not located this specific copy on WorldCat. OCLC: 1150075 records 5 copies, but at 59pp; this copy is 61pp, although apparently lacking the rear wrapper. Harvard holds a copy with 59pp (no Appendix), but with 2pp of ads at the rear. Our copy with a single page advertisement at the front for Lansing Bonnell, Dealer in Stoves, Tin Plate & c., Milwaukee Wisconsin. Good + condition; internally maps bright and fresh. Item #23507
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