US Post Office, 1789 to 1901

John Melish, Geographical Publisher

Don Heller, 3 October 2023




John Melish, 1771-1822, wrote and published a series of books describing the roads and geography of the United States, including information from the Post Office.  These were complements to the maps which were his main publishing activity.
We list here only those titles with some part related to the Post Office; this is not a complete "Melish bibliography".  The page numbering is a combination of pages and columns, which requires some more attention to detail.

Refer to the Timeline of Philatelic Literature, 1830-1875 for explanation of the various abbreviations and references.


A Description of the Roads in the United States, compiled from the most authentic materials, Philadelphia : Printed by G. Palmer, 1814, iv + [5-11] p. + 82 col. (41 p.) + maps.  Preface dated Aug. 1814.
Same title, Philadelphia : Printed for John Melish, G. Palmer, printer, 1815, iv p. + 88 col. (44 p.) + p. 89-100.  Preface postscript dated Sep. 1815.


A Statistical Account of the United States, with topographical tables of the counties, towns, population, &c., Philadelphia : printed by G. Palmer, 1813, 35 p. + map.
Same title, 1814, 32 p. A Statistical View of the United States, containing a geographical description of the United States, and of each state and territory, with topographical tables of the counties, towns, population, &c., Philadelphia : published by the Author, 1822, 45 p.
A Statistical View of the United States, containing a Geographical Description of the United States, and of each State and Territory, with Topological Tables of the Counties, Towns, Population, &c., New York : Published by A.T. Goodrich, 1825, 41 p.


A Geographical Description of the United States, with Topographical Tables of the Counties, Towns, Population, &c. From the Census of 1810, Philadelphia : Printed for John Melish, G. Palmer, printer, 1815, 32 p. + 5 maps.
A Geographical Description of the United States, with the contiguous British and Spanish possessions, intended as an accompaniment to Melish's map of these countries, Philadelphia : Published by the Author, 1816, 182 + 4 p. + 4 or 5 maps + errata.
Same title, Philadelphia : Published by the Author, T.H. Palmer, printer, 1816, second ed., 182 p. + 5 maps.
Same title, Philadelphia : Published by the Author, 1818, third ed., 186 p. + 4 maps.
A Geographical Description of the United States, with the Contiguous Countries, including Mexico and the West Indies, intended as an accompaniment to Melish's Map of these Countries, Philadelphia : Published by the Author, 1822, A new edition, greatly improved, 491 + [15] p. + 14 maps.  Preface dated July 4, 1822.
Same title, New York : Published by A.T. Goodrich, J. & J. Harper, Printers, 1826, a new edition, greatly improved, 497 + [17] p. + 12 maps.  Preface to the third edition, dated Mar. 15, 1826.
Same title, Philadelphia : the author, 1826, 497 + 15 p.
Same title, Philadelphia, 1850


The Traveller's Directory through the United States, consisting of A Geographical Description of the United States, with Topographical Tables of the Counties, Towns, Population, &c. and A Description of the Roads, compiled from the most authentic materials, Philadelphia : Printed for the Author, G. Palmer, printer, 1815, [4] p. + (32 p. + 5 maps) + (iv p. + 88 col. (44 p.) + p. 89-100).  Preface dated Dec. 1814.  Copyright dated 27 Dec. 1814.
Same title, Philadelphia : Printed for the Author, T. & G. Palmer, printers, 1816, third ed., iv p. + (p. 5-40 + 5 maps) + (p. 37-39 + col. 40-127 (44 p.) + p. 128-134 + [2] p.); total 96 p. + 5 maps.  Preface to the Third Edition, dated Sep. 1816.
Same title, Philadelphia : Printed for John Melish & S. Harrison, 1818, fourth ed., iv p. + (p. 5-40 + p. 35*-36* + 4 maps) + (p. 37*-39* + col. 40-127 (44 p.) + p. 128-134) + [26] p. (1818 calendar).  Preface dated Jan. 1, 1818.
Same title, With a Calendar for the Current Year, Philadelphia : Printed for the Author, T.H. Palmer, printer, 1819, fifth ed., iv + [3] p. + (p. 5-40 + p. 33*-36* + 5 maps) + (p. 37*-39* + col. 40-127 + p. 128-134) + [14] (1819 calendar).  Preface dated Dec. 1819.
The Traveller's Directory through the United States of America, being a complete list of the Direct and Cross Roads, together with the Conveyance by Water Throughout the different States and Territories, including the connecting roads and distances, in measured miles, from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, to Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and St. Louis, Compiled from the most authentic materials, Philadelphia : Printed for J. Melish and S. Harrison, 1819, 5 p. + (col. 6-89 + p. 90-98 + 4 maps) + (p. 99-102).
(Shoemaker 2225) reports an 1820 edition, 134 p., from a book dealer's price list in 1930.

The Traveller's Directory through the United States; containing, A Description of all the Principal Roads through the United States, with Copious Remarks on the Rivers, and Other Objects, to which is added An Appendix, containing, Post-Office Regulations, Land-Offices, Military Posts, Census of the United States, and a Comparative and Prospective View of the Population, Philadelphia : Published by the Author, 1822, xix + 184 p. + 2 maps
The Traveller's Directory through the United States, Containing a description of all the Principal Roads through the United States, with Copious Remarks on the Rivers and Other Objects, to which is added, An Appendix, containing, Post-Office Regulations, Land-Offices, and Military Posts, together with a Census of the United States, and a Comparative and Prospective View of the Population, New York : A.T. Goodrich, 1825, A new edition, Revised and Enlarged, xix + 194 + 41 p. + maps.
The Traveller's Manual and Description of the United States, comprising geographical, historical, and statistical details of the union, and of each state, being a compendium of information, and a useful accompaniment to a map of this country, New York : A.T. Goodrich, 1831, 497 p. + 11 maps.

For comparison to similar works, a small sample,


Last changed 3 October 2023

Timeline of Philatelic Literature, 1830-1875