Biography
Dudley Adams (1762-1830) was the son of George Adams (c1704-1773). Dudley Adams’ brother, George Adams, (1750-1795) took over the family business after the death of their father, and Dudley Adams worked independently at 53 Charing Cross, where he published new editions of his father’s 305 and 460mm (12 and 18 inch) globes. In 1796, Dudley returned to Fleet Street and continued to operate there before becoming bankrupt in 1817.

The Adams firm does not appear to have ever designed a pocket globe of its own, but rather acquire the copper plates of John Senex, and thereafter produced versions of his pocket globe to be used in their tellurium. Dudley also acquired the copper plates for a pocket globe of James Ferguson, dating to 1756, which he updated and replaced Ferguson’s name with his own.

Geography
The cartography is based on Ferguson’s 1756 globe, which Adams updated in a globe of his own published in 1795.

The present globe dated 1808 and also include the identification of “English colonies” in North America. This globe has detailed cartographic information given in the northern polar region, including a label for the “Ice Sea”.

Astronomy
The celestial cartography is the same as the globe produced by James Ferguson in 1756. The celestial cartography displays the houses of the Zodiac with their sigils and the constellations, depicted by mythical beasts. The 48 Ptolemaic constellations and four of the non-Ptolemaic constellations are drawn. Four of the southern constellations are drawn with those of Plancius and Hevelius. The celestial cartography contains certain flaws, such as erroneous star names (“Archarus” for Arcturus and “Pomahant” for Fomahant) and misplacement of the solstitial colure.