The atlas, first published in 1778, was designed to aid the highly lucrative sugar trade, which by this point accounted for around one-fifth of all imports to Europe, eighty percent of which was supplied by French and British colonies in the West Indies. Unfortunately, Europe's insatiable desire for sugar drove a viler – although no less lucrative – trade: that of the trafficking of slaves from the west coast of Africa to the Caribbean plantations. It is estimated that by the time the atlas was published, some 400,000 enslaved people were at work in the British Caribbean colonies.

Unfortunately, Thomas Jefferys would not live to see the publication of his 'West Indian Atlas', and it was left to Robert Sayer who, in partnership with John Bennett, acquired his materials and published the atlas posthumously under Jefferys' name. The work was evidently a commercial success as there were five subsequent editions under the Sayer and Bennett imprint.

In 1794 an expanded and modified version with 61 plates was published under Sayer's sole imprint. In the same year Laurie & Whittle acquired Sayer's plates, and they published a further version with the same title page, but with their imprint.

The charts:

'A Chart of the British Channel; Comprehending the Southern Coasts of England and Wales: with the Coast of France, from Dunkirk to the River of Nantes...', 20 Feb.y, 1782, double-page

'A Chart of the Atlantic Ocean I. Sheet', 20 Feb.y, 1782, double-page

'Chart of the Acores (Hawks) Islands, also called Flemish and Western Islands', 20 Feb.y, 1782, double-page

'A Chart of the Maderas and Canary Islands...', 20 Feb.y, 1782, double-page

'The Cape Verd Islands', 20 Feb.y, 1782, full-page

'The Bermudas of Summer Islands', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'An Index map to the following sixteen sheets, being A Compleat Cart of the West Indies', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page




'The Western Coast of Louisiana and the Coast of New Leon', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Coast of West Florida and Louisiana', double-page

'The Peninsula and Gulf of Florida or Channel of Bahama with the Bahama Islands', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Coast of Mexico from Laguna de Esmotes to Punta Brava', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Coast of Yucatan from Campeche to Bahia del Ascension; with the West End of Cuba', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Island of Cuba with part of the Bahama Banks & the Martyrs', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Windward Passage, with the several Passages, from the East End of Cuba, and the North part of St. Domingo', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Coastline of New Spain from Neuva Vera Cruz to Triste Island', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Bay of Honduras', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page, margins extended
'The Island of Jamaica and Cape Gracias a Dios with the Banks', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'South part of St. Domingo, or Hispaniola', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Caribbee Islands, the Virgin Islands, and the Isle of Porto Rico', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'Part of the Provinces of Costa Rica and Nicaragua with the Lagunas', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page



'The Isthmus of Panama with the Coast from Great River on the Moskito Shore to Cartagena', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Coast of Tierra Firma from Cartagena to Golfo Triste', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Coast of Caracas, Cumana, Paria and the Mouths of Rio Orinoco...', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'Jamaica', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'Ruatan...', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'The Virgin Islands', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'St. Christopher's, or St. Kitts...', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'Antigua', double-page

'Guadaloupe', double-page

'Dominica', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'Martinico', double-page

'St. Lucia', double-page

'Barbadoes', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'St. Vincent', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'Bequia or Becouya', 20 Feb.y, 1775, full-page

'Grenada', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'Tobago', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'Turks Islands', 20 Feb.y, 1775, full-page

'Curacao', 20 Feb.y, 1775, double-page

'A New chart of the Coast of Guayana from Rio Orinoco to River Berbice,..' 1 June 1781, double-page