Scull, Nicholas & George Heap "A Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent"

Nicholas Scull & George Heap.  "A Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent".  From Gentleman’s Magazine.

London: Gentleman's Magazine, August 1753.   First edition.  13 3/8 x 11 5/8.  Engraving.  With inset of table of distances from Court House.  Folds as issued.  Very narrow loss of image left hand side.  Old but stable repairs and reinforcements on verso; old repaired tear into image left hand side.  With descriptive page from magazine.  Else, fine condition.  Prints of Philadelphia: 1; Snyder: 16. 

Perhaps the most famous map of Philadelphia, the Scull & Heap map went through many editions beginning in 1752.  As much of the intent of this publication was to promote the city and its surrounding regions, the map was made available for printing in a popular periodical, Gentleman's Magazine, where it appeared the next year in a reduced size.  As the first edition, separately issued in Philadelphia, is extremely scarce, the Gentleman's Magazine edition is the first generally available version of this important map. 

Holme's grid plan for the city lies at the center of the map, with an open Centre Square and the Court House the only indicated features.  More information is given about the surrounding regions, where roads, mills, and houses of prominent citizens are shown and named.  These details give us a wealth of information about the development of the Philadelphia area in its nascent days.  Especially interesting is a considerably developed Germantown, with houses lining both sides of Germantown Pike, and a table of distances from the Court House is in the lower right corner, the latter only appearing in this first edition.