Map of the Moon

Twenty-seven sheets forming part of the Map of the Moon published by H. Percy Wilkins in 1946. It is a 300 inch map of the moon in 100 inch reproduction at a scale of 21.6 miles per inch. The title page states that it is an Orthographic Projection at mean libration and that its details were "taken from the finest photographs, drawings by the most current observers and as the result of personal observations commencing in 1909, with telescopes of various apertures, but chiefly with a 12 1/2 in reflector." It is based on the measures of S.A. Saunders and J. Franz, revised by Wilkins' observations with a 15 inch reflector.

The map is dedicated to "the advancement of selenography" and to "the immortal memory" of selenographers including Mayer, Schroter, Lohrmann, Madler, Schmidt, Neison, Elger, Goodacre and Pickering.

Wilkins was a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association. His map of the moon was the most detailed lunar chart produced before the space age.

Many of the sheets have manuscript corrections in ink or pencil. Several sheets are duplicated (23, 18, 12, 11). Four sections are printed on the title page of the map (13, 17, 21, 25)