A Cartographic Treasure from 1799: Bringing Reilly’s Atlas Home to Vienna

Working in an antiquarian bookshop, surprises are part of daily life. But recently, a discovery stood out: Atlas von dem Königreiche Neapel in einer General- und neunzehn Special-Karten, published in Vienna in 1799 by Franz Johann Joseph von Reilly.

Ari, with his trained eye for special editions, was immediately drawn to the elegance of the engraved maps and showed it to me and when I saw the publisher’s name, I remembered my university lectures in Vienna on travel literature - Reilly was a significant figure in Austrian map publishing. We sensed this might be something special and research confirmed it.

The atlas is complete: title page, one general map, and nineteen detailed maps, all in very good condition. Reilly (1766–1820) was one of Austria’s most important cartographers, known for producing detailed and ambitious atlases at the turn of the 19th century. His works are valued milestones in Austrian cartographic history.

Because of this strong historical connection, we contacted the Austrian National Library to ask whether they would be interested in examining the volume. Their reply came within a day, enthusiastic and highly interested, as the atlas was not represented in their collection in this form.

In August, we brought the carefully packed atlas back to Vienna and after expert review and discussion in the library’s historic reading rooms, the atlas found a new home there and there is great satisfaction in knowing that this remarkable 1799 Vienna print has returned to the city of its origin, now preserved within Austria’s national collection for future generations.

Rare discoveries like these are the true excitement of running an antiquarian bookshop!