Bouache Philippe (1 results)

Condition: Near fine. Updated edition of 1714 map. 52 x 69 cm hand-coloured map. Centrefold. Bottom corner chipped. An updated edition of Delisle's important map of the Northern Hemisphere. When first printed in 1714, Delisle's map was the first to correctly place the west coast of North America by moving it farther east from previous mapping. California is correctly shown as a peninsula, not an island. However, this edition continues the coastline of the Pacific Northwest with a large island labeled Foufang that is apparently Chinese and serves as the western boundary of a large Mer de l'Ouest. Other conjectural rivers and lakes, including Lake Valasco, appear to the north. A rudimentary Alaska is named Presqu'Isle du Nord-Ouest. Bauche improved upon the depiction of Japan, although Hokkaido (Isle du Jeso) is still not shaped correctly. Only a small remnant of the Terre de la Compagnie appears near Hokkaido. Delisle (or de l'Isle) (1675-1726) was the son of a cartographer and a pupil of Jean Dominique Cassini, who, among other important contributions, aligned the study of astronomy to the study of geography. Under Cassini's direction, observations were made from locations all over the world that enabled longitudinal calculations to be made with much greater accuracy. Delisle continued his work with dedication, constantly revising and improving his maps.