Le Petit Neptune Français

"Le Petit Neptune Français; or, French Coasting Pilot" is a British naval intelligence atlas compiled and published by Willi...

Read More

"Le Petit Neptune Français; or, French Coasting Pilot" is a British naval intelligence atlas compiled and published by William Faden, Britain’s leading military mapmaker, first published on the eve of war with Revolutionary France. First issued in 1793, the year Britain entered the conflict, it was designed to meet the Royal Navy’s urgent need for accurate and practical intelligence on the French coast and adjacent waters. Drawing on French hydrographic surveys, British naval reconnaissance, captured charts, and Admiralty intelligence associated with figures such as Alexander Dalrymple, the atlas focuses on harbours, anchorages, shoals, soundings, and coastal defences rather than decorative presentation. Despite its French title, it was produced in London for British officers and reflects a deliberate appropriation of French nautical knowledge for wartime use. The atlas was repeatedly revised as the conflict continued, culminating in the third edition of 1805, carefully updated by J. F. Dessiou, R.N., during the height of the Napoleonic invasion threat. Extending from Flanders to the Mediterranean, Italy, Corsica, and Sicily, Le Petit Neptune Français stands as a highly purposeful cartographic record of Britain’s maritime war with France.

Hide out of stock items
Showing 85 of 85 products

"Le Petit Neptune Français; or, French Coasting Pilot" is a British naval intelligence atlas compiled and published by William Faden, Britain’s leading military mapmaker, first published on the eve of war with Revolutionary France. First issued in 1793, the year Britain entered the conflict, it was designed to meet the Royal Navy’s urgent need for accurate and practical intelligence on the French coast and adjacent waters. Drawing on French hydrographic surveys, British naval reconnaissance, captured charts, and Admiralty intelligence associated with figures such as Alexander Dalrymple, the atlas focuses on harbours, anchorages, shoals, soundings, and coastal defences rather than decorative presentation. Despite its French title, it was produced in London for British officers and reflects a deliberate appropriation of French nautical knowledge for wartime use. The atlas was repeatedly revised as the conflict continued, culminating in the third edition of 1805, carefully updated by J. F. Dessiou, R.N., during the height of the Napoleonic invasion threat. Extending from Flanders to the Mediterranean, Italy, Corsica, and Sicily, Le Petit Neptune Français stands as a highly purposeful cartographic record of Britain’s maritime war with France.

Back to Top