Germany, 1756-62

Plans de la guerre de sept ans

A volume of forty-six maps, with title-page, of sieges, battles and encampments in Germany in the Seven Years War. Seven Years War (1756-63). See RCINs 731067.a-aw.

The date of 1789 is taken from the BL catalogue. See BL Maps C.7.e.9. also on silk.

The ‘Prospectus’ lists seventy-four actions; this set contains forty-six plans. Lacks plans a5, a10, a11, a12, a17, a19, a20, a21, a22, a25; b6, a9; c12, c21-29, c32-34, c36.

Each plan is described separately. The privilege mark: C.P.S.C.M., appears on each plan, bottom centre of the text, inside the neatline; the authority statements: ‘Dessiné par Therbu Lieutenant= Ingenieur’ and ‘Gravé par Cöntgen Graveur de la Cour et de l’Université de Mayence’ are engraved outside the neatlines bottom left and bottom right respectively except in five instances where the engraver is G. Tischbein. The format is similar to the small maps published by Jean de Beaurain fils in 1765 (see RCIN 731066).

The Prospectus explains that the maps are arranged in three groups. The twenty-eight plans in group ‘a’ represent the actions between the Prussians and the Imperial Armies (French, Saxon, and the Empire) and each plan is marked bottom right with a lower case ‘a’ and a number in chronological order. Group ‘b’, represents the actions between the Prussians and the Russians and Swedes, and comprises nine plans marked with a ‘b’. Group ‘c’ comprises thirty-seven plans of the actions between the French and the Allies.

According to the ‘Prospectus’ the maps were to be issued in monthly instalments. It is possible that it was intended that there should be twenty-four instalments of three maps, and a twenty-fifth which, according to the Prospectus, comprised two maps and the Title.

This set comprises the following maps:

a.1 Lobositz 1756
a.2 Pirna 1756
a.3 Reichenberg 1757
a.4 Prague 1757
a.5 Not present
a.6 Prague 1757
a.7 Görlitz 1757
a.8 Berlin 1757
a.9 Rosbach 1757
a.10-12 Not present
a.13 Breslau 1757
a.14 Schweidnitz 1758
a.15 Olmutz 1758
a.16 Hochkirchen 1758
a.17 Not present
a.18 Dresden 1758
a.19-22 Not present
a.23 Lignitz 1760
a.24 Strehla 1760
a.25 Not present
a.26 Reichenbach 1762
a.27 Schweidnitz 1762
a.28 Freiberg 1762
b.1 Memel 1757
b.2 Pilau 1757
b.3 Gross-Jaegerndorf 1757
b.4 Stralsund 1757-8
b.5 Zorndorf 1758
b.6 Not present
b.7 Palzig 1759
b.8 Cunersdorf 1759
c.1 Fort St Philippe 1756
c.2 Forts de Chouagen 1756
c.3 Wesel 1757-1760
c.4 Lippstadt 1757-1758
c.5 Hastenbeck 1757
c.6 Fort William-Henry 1757
c.7 Hannovre 1757-1758
c.8 Harbourg 1757
c.9 Creveld 1758
c.10 Dusseldorff 1758
c.11 Fort Carillon 1758
c.12 Not present
c.13 Sandsershausen 1758
c.14 Louisbourg 1757-1758
c.15 Meer 1758
c.16 St Cast 1758
c.17 Lutternberg 1758
c.18 Bergen 1759
c.19 Guadeloupe 1759
c.20 Minden 1759
c.21-c.29 Not present
c.30 Meppen 1761
c.31 Brunswig 1761
c.32-c.34 Not present
c.35 Almeida 1762
c.36 Not present
c.37 Johannsberg 1762 

[Maps a8 (RCIN 731067.h), a14 (RCIN 731067.k), a18 (RCIN 731067.n), b4 (RCIN 731067.w), c7 (RCIN 731067.ag) and c30 (RCIN 731067.at), are engraved by G. Tischbein.]

[Maps RCIN 731067.am and RCINs 731067.ao are drawn by J. Seibel.]

1. Nineteenth or twentieth-century cloth binding, originally purple? now very faded; upper board has a lattice pattern of faded and less faded areas; bottom board is heavily marked and stained; gold lettering to spine: PLANS DE LA GUERRE DE SEPT ANS THERBU; a floral device is stamped at each end of the title and author. The pastedown inside the front board is stamped in blue ink: ROYAL LIBRARY, / WINDSOR CASTLE. A black pencil inscription on the recto of the flyleaf reads: ‘very imperfect’.