[Americana] [Playfair, William] Donnant, D.F. Statistical Account of the United States of America

London: Printed for Messrs. Greenland and Norris, by J. Whiting, 1805. First edition. 8vo. 72 pp. Translated by William Playfair, and illustrated with a hand-colored folding frontispiece pie chart by him. Quarter vellum over contemporary paperboards, spine lettered in black; edges untrimmed; remnants of removed book-plate on front paste-down; offsetting onto title-page from frontispiece; abrasion at center of title-page verso; circular stain in fore-edge of C5, E1, and at bottom of E4, with offset staining on adjoining pages. Sabin 20599

Rare statistical analysis of the United States during Jefferson's presidency, featuring one of the earliest uses of a pie chart, illustrated by its inventor, the Scottish engineer, William Playfair (1759-23). Playfair is considered the father of statistical graphics, and single-handedly invented the pie, line, and bar charts. His first use of a pie chart occurred four years prior to this volume, in his Statistical Breviary (1801). Playfair's chart here represents the total area of the United States in square miles, divided into proportional sections, and distinguished by color to represent each state, the territories, and Spanish-held possessions.

Rare, according to RBH this is only the second copy to ever appear at auction.

This lot is located in Philadelphia.