Landmark Map (3 results)

Excellent. Gently toned; one tiny wormhole not impacting printed image. Else fine with rich original color. Size 15.5 x 19.75 Inches. This is a gorgeous, original color example of Jan Jansson's 1630 map of the East Indies - the first printed map to present Willem Janszoon's 1606 contact with Australia. It also represents a milestone in the mapping of the Philippines, containing a markedly more precise depiction of the archipelago than any prior printed map. A Closer Look The map reaches from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the Marianas ( Insulae de Ladrones ) and from southern China south beyond Java and Timor, thus embracing modern-day Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, as well as providing a glimpse of the first documented European contact with Australia at York Peninsula. The map is a classic of Dutch decorative cartography, sporting ships, a sea monster, fine compass roses, and elegant cartouches. The scale cartouche is flanked by a merman and a mermaid, and the title cartouche features indigenous warriors. First Dutch Glimpses of Australia The southeastern quarter of the map is rich in new exploration. An elongated north coastline appears for New Guinea: this, and the islands north of it, derive from the ill-fated voyage of Le Maire and Schouten, as transmitted by Joris Spilbergen (1568 - 1620). To the south, the islands spanning from Java Maior and Bali eastwards appear in greater detail than on any earlier printed work. Lombok and the Lesser Sunda Islands have only their north coasts charted, suggesting reports from an unknown voyage touching those coastlines. Following these islands eastwards, the chain turns upwards to the southern coastline of an island not appearing on earlier printed works at all: Duyfkens Eylant , whose blank northern coasts face the blank southern coasts of t' Landt vande Papuos , or New Guinea. Even further east appear more incomplete coastlines, with the placenames Modder Eylandt and Tyuri . These latter details are derived from Willem Janszoon's 1606 voyage on the pinnace Duyfken . Janszoon's Duyfkens Eylant proved to be southwestern New Guinea, and he supposed that the coastline of Modder Eylandt might connect. That discovery would prove momentous: this was not part of New Guinea but was instead the western coast of Australia's Cape York Peninsula. While Janszoon's report spurred further exploration, it was not committed to any prior printed map. His 1606 discoveries were not publicized at the time, nor were they coherently synthesized with other East India discoveries. His journal and chart were lost, although reports of these discoveries would spread, being mentioned in Dutch documents as early as 1618. The earliest appearance of this cartography is on the 1622 Hessel Gerritsz manuscript map Mar del Sur , produced when Gerritsz was the Official Hydrographer to the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Scrutiny of that work reveals it to be the clear precursor to Jansson's map from Borneo eastwards. A Landmark in the Mapping of the Philippines Jansson's map also benefits from Gerritsz in its sophisticated depiction of the Philippine Archipelago, appearing in print here for the first time. In the first part of the 17th century, European printed maps of the Philippines were overwhelmingly derived from Jan van Linschoten. Even the 1619 De Bry map - produced to accompany Joris van Spilbergen's account of his circumnavigation - did not materially improve Philippine geography. This was likely the result of protections the VOC maintained until 1619, strictly controlling the dissemination of new information relating to their sphere of operation. In that context, the depiction of the Philippines found on the present map appears out of nowhere. Gerritsz's geography does, however, reintroduce an error that had appeared fleetingly on some earlier maps: the phantom island of St. Juan, on the northeast coast of Mindanao. It appeared first on Ortelius' 1570 map of Asia, only to.

Very good. Light marginal soiling. Expert verso stabilization to centerfold, top and bottom margin only. Size 19 x 22 Inches. A holy grail of Bermuda map collecting, this is the 1738 first-edition first-state of Clement Lemprière's separately and independently published map of Bermuda. It is considered the first scientifically verified hydrographic survey of Bermuda and the first published map to correctly identify the archipelago's longitude. It surpassed and superseded the 17th-century Arent Roggeveen survey, thus becoming the basis for most subsequent maps of the archipelago until the Hurd surveys (1783-97). A Closer Look Oriented towards the north-northwest, the map loosely follows the 1626 John Speed map (which follows the first Norman survey) in delineating the islands' outlines and topography, though updated considerably with roads, new towns, and inland topography. The true focus of the map is hydrographic. Although there are no detailed soundings, Lemprière offers a broad reassessment of reefs, rocks, and shoals and includes clear and copious instructions to the mariner - inserted both as annotations and in a large text caption below the map. The text warns of dangerous currents and the plethora of rocks and shoals to the north of Bermuda, directing mariners instead to the southern shore - a region also bedeviled by barrier reefs, though these are more easily navigated. Lemprière's most significant innovation is the correction of the island's longitude to 64°48' W, for which he used astronomical observations taken in 1722 and 1726 and his own readings. Lemprière's Survey of Bermuda Lemprière may or may not have personally conducted survey work in Bermuda. He may simply have compiled the cartography that influenced a generation of Bermuda maps. It is likely that the governor of Bermuda, Alured Popple (1699 - 1744) (to whom the map is dedicated), contracted Lemprière to create a new map of the island and its surroundings in an attempt to curb piracy and smuggling. By the early 18th century, Bermuda had become a haven for maritime opportunists operating outside officialregulation. The archipelago was conveniently located off major trade routes between the West Indies and Europe. Free traders, pirates, and smugglers could conceal themselves in Bermuda's many hidden coves and conduct trade without paying the East India Company tax. They could also use the hidden coves to trade with foreign nations under British embargo. The colonial governors tried in vain to stop the rampant smuggling, but with only a small military staff and a host of corrupt officials, the effort proved hopeless. 'Tribes' of Bermuda The Somers Isles company was founded by the shareholders of the Virginia Company formed in 1614. When the Virginia company folded in 1622, Somers Isles Company, which held a separate charter, continued to administer Bermuda for nearly six decades. Most of Bermuda was subdivided into eight equally sized administrative zones initially termed 'tribes,' later changed to 'parishes.' These were named for shareholders in the Company and were further divided (by tribe roads) into lots equating to shares held. Saint George formed a ninth subdivision, now the easternmost parish, incorporating Saint George's Island, Saint David's Island, part of the Main Island, and various smaller islands and islets around Castle Harbour (Southampton Harbour) and Saint George's Harbour. This area was held in common by the Company shareholders and served as Bermuda's original capital, Saint George's Town. While Saint George Harbour was easily accessed by maritime merchants, the location of the capital made it difficult to administer the western reaches of the island, where smugglers and pirates were most active. Publication History and Census This map was compiled and drafted by Clement Lemprière and engraved by William H. Toms. It was published jointly as a separate issue by Lemprière and Toms in London on October 23, 1738. There are at least.

Very good. Backed on fresh linen. Custom slipcase. Size 63 x 59 Inches. Magnificently huge, this is Thomas Devine's 1857 large-scale map of Canada west of the Hudson Bay. It is the first map of the West published and issued in Canada, and as such, it can be considered an essential document of the Canadian westward expansion. A Closer Look The map's very possessive title communicates its purpose: to promote ownership over and settlement of the 'North West Part of CANADA.' Its coverage extends from James Bay and the Great Lakes westward to the Pacific and from the high Arctic as far south as Chicago and the Columbia River. The whole is richly colorized and annotated to promote the region's unexploited richness and potential wealth. A Map to Promote Westward Migration By 1856, Canada had asserted tenuous claims to its northwestern territories, but little was known of their potential. Instead, the western part of Canada was controlled by the secretive Hudson Bay Company, whose governor, Sir George Simpson, testified that the region was inadequate for settlement and offered a paucity of resources. On the other side of the argument were the Expansionists, who were eager to migrate westward and saw the Canadian prairies as an attainable Eden. To address this question, the Commissioner of Crown Lands for Canada, then Joseph-Édouard Cauchon, a dedicated expansionist with business interests in Manitoba, ordered his chief surveyor Thomas Devine to compile a grand map assessing the region. R. Douglas Francis, in his book The Prairie West as Promised Land , describes Devine's map as One of the best examples of the changing perspective on the land a product of the expansionist impulse. Cartographically, Devine derives his map from the works of Aaron Arrowsmith, but with significant expansion and annotation intended to promote his mission of westward migration. Devine draws his glowing reviews of the region from several sources, all carefully cited, including Alexander Mackenzie, Lieutenant Saxon, Sir George Simpson, Ballantyne, Captain Pope, Governor Stevens, and others. Some of the descriptions are wildly glowing: Capt. Pope says, 'The Red River Valley is an unbroken level of rich prairie, intersected by well-timbered tributaries. Elm, oak, maple, ash, etc. From richness of soil uniform surface, and wood and water it is among the finest wheat growing countries in the world. All the cereals and vegetables grow in abundance. Climate Salubrious.' In addition, the map addresses the terrain and mineralogical resources, identifying copper deposits along Lake Superior and a coal belt running from Great Bear Lake to the Canada-US boundary. Soil types and other geological formations are noted using color coding to distinguish regions. The map also includes some detail within the United States, including the Gov. Stevens route for the Northern Pacific Railroad, John Jacob Astor's fur trading post at Astoria, and manned border fortifications. The British North American Exploring Expedition In the same year this map was issued, the British North American Exploring Expedition, under John Palliser, set off. The expedition investigated the geography, climate, and ecology of western Canada. This was the first detailed and scientific survey of the region from Lake Superior to the southern passes of the Rocky Mountains. Until the publication of the Palliser map in 1865, the present map was the finest and most detailed large-scale map of this region. Publication History and Census This map appears in two editions. One edition was published as one of 8 maps included with a supplement to the 1857 Report of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, in this case Joseph-Édouard Cauchon. That example is on thin paper, typically uncolored, and was issued by S. Derbishire and G. Desbarats. The other example (as offered here) is a richly colored, dissected, separate issue published privately by Maclear and Company. It is of note that Cauchon, who ordered this map produce.