Map Mercator (23 results)

La Motte, France, 6 1/4" x 8", with image 4 1/4" x 6". Some edge wear, blank back.

Image size is 17.5cm x 13.5cm, on a sheet measuring 23.5cm x 18.5cm (9 x 7 inches). Cartouche at lower right. Text on map in Latin. Text on verso is German. Page number on verso is 46, contemporary hand colour, on laid paper, very good to fine. A copper engraved regional map of Ireland, Kylkenny, the Carlow region , from 1609.

By: Ptolemy/MercatorDate: 1698 (Published)AmsterdamDimensions: 14 x 17.8 inches (35.6 x 45.2 cm)This fascinating map illustrates the extent to which Mercator (based on Ptolemy) was correct in his depictions of various regions included in his work. This map of Western Asia compares remarkably favorably with modern-day satellite images of the region, and includes ancient names of peoples, places and kingdoms.The ancient Persian kingdom of Sarmatia is the focal point of the map. At its zenith the kingdom covered vast territories reaching as far north as the Baltic, with areas around the Black Sea extending to the west into modern-day Ukraine and stretching east to the region north of the Caspian. Examples of modern-day places that wholly or partially fall within the borders of the old Sarmatian territory are the south-eastern and central parts of Ukraine, parts of southern Russia and along the Volga, southern Ural, some smaller parts of north-eastern Balkans, and around Moldova.The Sarmatians are described by ancient historians as sharing many features with the Scythians, from their horsemanship to their artistic prowess with gold. Described as fair-haired and light-skinned by ancient writers, they are known to have traded foodstuffs (grains) with ancient Greece and ultimately to have conquered the Scythians. Sarmatian women were said to be fierce warriors and skilled huntresses who in infancy were subject to removal of the left breast in order to enable them to fight more effectively. The women could not marry till they had killed three enemies in battle and completed specific religious rites. Contents of their tombs confirm much of what was written of them in antiquity.The map is beautifully engraved and embellished with a lovely cartouche and an interesting scene of nomadic life in the steppes. Two marble columns labeled the 'Columns of Alexander' are featured near a region labeled 'Amazones'. The existence and provenance of the columns is documented in the travel journal of 19th century explorer Edward Daniel Clarke, who wrote of their having been moved from their original position in Asiatic Samartia (as described by Ptolemy) to a property of a Russian military commander in the region, a certain General Orlof. Their whereabouts at the present time is unknown.Condition: This intriguing map is in A+ condition.Inventory #113631200 W. 35th Street #425 Chicago, IL 60609 | P: (312) 496 - 3622.

Hardcover. 1st Edition. Very good. Some toning along old fold lines. Dissected and mounted on linen. Original linen reinforced in places, but generally stable. Minor regular perforations in margin - possibly intended for hanging. Size 43.75 x 66.75 Inches. An impressive first-edition wall map of the world was issued in 1892 by the Leipzig publisher Georg Lang. The map features a unique manuscript record of an epic around-the-world journey. A Closer Look Centered on Europe, the map employs a Mercator projection to illustrate the world. Political entities are defined with color coding. Red overprinting illustrates maritime routes and rail networks. Insets along the bottom of the map detail primary German colonial holdings: Togoland, Cameroon (Kamerun), East Africa (Tanzania), the Nile Delta, southwest Africa (Namibia), and the Melanesian archipelago. An Incredible Odyssey The map includes manuscript annotation chronicling an epic around-the-world voyage beginning in San Francisco and finishing in New York. The unknown but adventurous traveler set off from San Francisco on October 17 or 18th, crossing the Pacific on the San Francisco-Yokohama Line, disembarking in Japan on November 2. He traveled overland through Japan before setting sail from Nagasaki to Hong Kong, from which he visited Canton (Guangzhou). From this port, he sailed south for Singapore, then Penang, then Colombo. He moved on to Pondicherry and Calcutta before heading inland by train along the Ganges Line to Agra, where he visited the Taj Mahal, Delhi, and Bombay. The voyage continued by sea to Aden, then through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean. The adventurer next lands in Italy, from where he begins a Grand Tour of Europe, passing through Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and France before returning to Genoa. From there, he catches a steamer to Gibraltar, breaking for a detour to Madrid. He then visits Lisbon, travels extensively in the British Isles, and detours to Calais and Amsterdam. What follows is an astonishing voyage to the northernmost point in Norway, Kinnarodden. Returning south, he boards a steamer on the Liverpool-New York Line. The traveler stopped dating his voyage in Japan, so we do not know how long the entire trip took, nor do we know in what year/s it was accomplished, but we are nonetheless impressed. Publication History and Census There are at least two editions of this map, 1892 and 1902. The first edition (as here) was copyrighted in Leipzig in 1892 and approved for use at schools by ministerial decree on May 18, 1893. This map is uncommon. We have identified one example of this edition at the Bayerische Staatsbibliothe (Bavarian State Library) and a 1902 edition at the British Library. No known history of another example on the private market. References: OCLC 163311603.

Condition: Good. Folio. 34 x 21 cm. Original contemporary stiff vellum with 6 raised bands. [2], viii, 602, [10], 224pp. Two columns printed in Latin and Greek in the first part and Latin only in the second part. Waterstain in the lower right corner throughout. The map is bound in front of page 1 and is in fine and fresh condition.This unique map was first printed as part of Isaac Casaubon's edition of Strabo's Geographia in 1587. In this, the first printing there are columns of text underneath rhe map with the heading, "Lectori S. P." In later editions the map was included in the well known Mercator atlas, which Rumold compiled. In 1603, the plate developed cracks in the top edge of the plate; two distinct cracks can be seen in the title.The preeminent example of Rumold Mercator's map of the world, first printed in this edition in Geneva in 1587. It is based on Gerard Mercator's celebrated 1569 world map and was made while Gerard was still alive (1512- 1594). This is the only collectible world map with direct input from Gerard Mercator, the greatest geographer of his era. Both his 1538 and 1569 world maps are unobtainable rarities.The present work is a reduced version of the 1569 wall map of the world, on which the revolutionary Mercator Projection was introduced. This edition makes the map into a double-hemisphere format, rather than the projection style.To the left is the western hemisphere. The prominent bulge in South America, a characteristic introduced by Gerard Mercator and evident on his 1569 world map, has been retained here. Tierra del Fuego forms part of a gigantic southern continent that continues in the eastern hemisphere. At the north pole, two of the four islands that Gerard Mercator thought surrounded the pole are evident. There is also a suggestion of a Northwest Passage via the Straits of Anian.Isaac Casaubon, (1559, Geneva ?died July 1, 1614, London). French classical scholar and theologian who was one of the leading scholars of the era.He was born in Geneva on 18th February 1559, a son of Huguenot parents Arnaud and Jeanne. He was educated at the university in his home town and taught Greek there. His first wife was Marie Prolyst but she and their daughter died. In 1586 in Geneva he married Florence, daughter of Henry Estienne and they had seventeen children, of whom about half did not survive infancy. His first major published work was on the Greek geographer Strabo and many other works followed. The invitation to come to England seems to have come from Richard Bancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury. Isaac was later made a prebendary of Canterbury but died in London on 1st July 1614.References: This first edition not in OCLC. Shirley, The Mapping of the World - Early Printed World Maps 1472 - 1700, Nr. 157; van der Krogt, Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, Vol. I, 0001:1A; Adams S-1908; Graesse VI:505. (Map) Koeman Me12; Moreland & Bannister p. 243; Shirley 157; Wagner Northwest Coast 146 . In-folio, reliure de l'époque vélin, dos à 6 nerfs, titre à l'encre dans le caisson de tête. Qq. taches, petites déchirures (nerfs et coiffe inférieure), coins usés. (8)-602-(2 bl.)-(8)-223 pp. et planisphère à double page rempliée. Trace de mouillure dans la partie inférieure droite sur tout l'ouvrage, marquée sur le premier quart puis s'amenuisant et s'estompant jusqu'à la fin du volume. Planisphère en belle condition (mouillure à peine visible, pas de déchirure, impression contrastée). Exemplaire complet des deux pages de titre gravées sur bois à décor identique de cariatides soutenant une couronne et de la planisphère (Orbis Terrae Compendiosa Descriptio) gravée par Rumold Mercator d'après la carte de son père Gérard Mercator et légendée en latin.Expertise by Christine CHATON Expertise en livres anciens et modernes (C.N.E.S.), 17100 SAINTES.

By: Ptolemy/MercatorDate: 1578 (printed circa 1730)Dimensions: 13.5 x 18 inches (34.3 cm x 45.7 cm)Of great elegance, this authentic hand-colored antique map of Central Asia by Gerardus Mercator, was originally published circa 1578 and continued to be published as late as 1730, using the same plates.The names on this splendid map evoke images of legendary nations whose cultural remains and artistic accomplishments are to be found in museums such as the Hermitage, the Louvre and the British Museum. We see herdsmen with flocks of sheep and herds of horses and cattle, and caravans headed east. Known to be nomadic, the nations listed, such as Scythian, Parthian and Sogdians must have put down roots some place at some point in order to produce the fine jewelry and other ornamentation for which they are known.The Himalayas and northern India run across the bottom of the map. The upper right quadrant is embellished by an elegant title cartouche with flourishes of cornucopia. The fanciful monster in the Caspian Sea could well be a factual depiction of an enormous sturgeon whose endangered descendants yet inhabit this sea, producing another type of black gold caviar.Condition: This map is in B condition with toning around the borders, foxing, and some small rust spots. There is thinning of the paper at the borders and a crease at the centerfold.Inventory #194971200 W. 35th Street #425 Chicago, IL 60609 | P: (312) 496 - 3622.

By: Ptolemy / MercatorDate: 1730 (Published) AmsterdamDimensions: 13.5 x 18.4 inches (34.3 x 46.74 cm)This is auniquePtolemaic map of Northern Africa, depicted from Morocco to the Red Sea, including almost a complete map of the Nile in Egypt. Many ancient place names are included throughout the map. The interior is embellished with animals, and a fierce dragon in present-day Morocco.This interestingmap appeared in Mercator's atlas, which was published a total of eight times between 1578 and 1730, when this particular map was published. One of Mercator's goals in life was to publish Ptolemy's Geographia, and in the second installment of his Atlas sive Cosmographia he published an authentic version of Ptolemy's oeuvre. Mercator strove to be as true to Ptolemy's second century world view as possible, believing that understanding the past was prerequisite to understanding the present.The copper plate from which the map was engraved suffered a crack at a relatively early point, leaving its mark on all subsequent prints.Condition: This map is in A- condition with minor foxing.Inventory #11366.

1st Edition. Excellent. Faint stain to right border, else fine with generous margins and a bold strike. Size 13.5 x 10.75 Inches. This is Gerard Mercator's map of the Barony of Idrone in County Carlow, Ireland, here in its 1595 first atlas edition. A Closer Look Idrone (Udrone on the map) is bordered by the River Barrow to the west, and the River Burren to the East. The map includes the towns of Carlow (Catherlagh) and Leighlinbridge (Laghlyn) as well as many smaller locales. Hills and forests are shown pictorially. Although many placenames have changed, as with the above towns, the map is remarkably accurate and includes many recognizable places (for example Old Laghlyn / Oldleighlin, Ratow / Rathoe, Mihel / Moyle, Knok Squyre / Knocksquire, Kylemonde / Killedmond). The map includes an ancient earthwork, 'Raduffe Trenche.' This marks County Carlow's border with Kilkenny west of the River Barrow. (Locally it is known as the 'Gripe of the Pig'.) Resulting from Actual Survey Mercator initially addressed the geography of Ireland in his 1564 wall map of the British Isles. His delineation of Ireland in that map was influential, to the extent that Ortelius reproduced it faithfully in his 1573 map. By the time Mercator produced the present map, however, he had moved beyond that earlier work. The level of detail exhibited, along with the ubiquity of reasonably accurate Irish place names, suggests that Mercator had access to detailed surveys, executed firsthand, by an Irish or English mapmaker. The most convincing candidate is the surveyor Robert Lythe, whose surveys added over three thousand Irish place names to the historical record during his 1567-1571 tenure as military engineer under Sir Henry Sidney, the Queen's deputy in Ireland. Although Lythe eventually mapped the entire island, his surveys between 1569 and 1570 were focused specifically on the region covered here. Publication History and Census Mercator engraved this map for inclusion in his Atlas , although he would not live to see it published as this first edition appeared a year after his death. The plates were later purchased by Jodocus Hondius, who continued to use them as the basis for his own atlases, gradually adding additional plates. The map remained in the Hondius / Jansson atlases unchanged until 1644. This present map conforms typographically with examples of the 1595 first Latin edition of Mercator's Atlas . In various editions, examples appear on the market from time to time, and the map is reasonably well represented in institutional collections. References: OCLC 633645948. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, (Vol. 1), 5915:1.

1st Edition. Good. Old color somewhat oxidized, leading to some mottling in the seas round the cartouche. Centerfold stabilized on verso with archival tissue. Latin text on verso. Size 16.5 x 20.5 Inches. An old color, first edition 1595 Gerard Mercator map of southeastern England, including London. It highlights the tricky waters of the English Channel, which had so recently rescued England from the 1588 Spanish Armada. A Closer Look Coverage ranges from the East Midlands to the English Channel and the Isle of Wight, covering the southeastern portion of England. Cities and towns are labeled throughout, while shires or counties are named in large text, traced, and color-shaded for easy distinction. Rivers, mountains, and forests are also illustrated. London can be seen along the Thames River near the center, while other cities and towns such as Cambridge, Oxford, Portsmouth, and Northampton can be readily located. Known shoals in the English Channel are also indicated, such as the 'Goodwin sandes' northeast of Dover, surrounded by Mercator's distinctive engraving of the seas, which evoke the rough waters between England and France. A portion of France around Calais (Cales) and Dunkirk (Duynkercke) appears at the bottom-right. Defeat of the Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada of 1588 was a large naval fleet assembled by King Philip II of Spain (1527 - 1598) to invade England, overthrow Queen Elizabeth I, and reinstate a Catholic monarch. The campaign was also meant to weaken the Dutch Republic and eventually reestablish Spanish (Habsburg) control over it. The fleet represented one of the gravest threats to the Kingdom of England in its history, and its failure helped galvanize a sense of English national identity. The Spanish plan was for a large fleet of ships to leave Lisbon, sail through the English Channel, stop at Calais to meet the Prince of Parma with his imposing Army of Flanders and ferry the army across the English Channel. However, the turbulent weather and seas of the English Channel conspired against the Spanish, whose large transport ships made ready prey for smaller and more maneuverable English ships, which attacked the fleet off Plymouth, Portland, and the Isle of Wight. Although the Spanish lost one ship, most of the armada was intact and continued to Calais, where they discovered that the Army of Flanders was not yet prepared to cross the Channel. Now forced to wait, the Spanish admiral, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, formed a defensive crescent in expectation of an English attack. However, this line was broken, and the Spanish ships were scattered by a fleet of English fireships sent across the Straits of Dover. With his fleet in disarray, the Duke of Medina Sidonia reformed them as best he could, but the expected English attack sank five of his ships and seriously damaged many more at Gravelines (marked as Grevelinge, its Dutch name, here). Unfortunately for the remnants of the Spanish Armada, their troubles were far from over. Scattered in all directions, the ships tried by whatever means to straggle back to Iberia, now battling hunger, damage to their ships, and the turbulent weather and rocky coastlines of the British Isles. Twenty-eight ships sank off the west coast of Ireland due to storms. Meanwhile, the Army of Flanders, realizing their invasion of England would not take place, undertook a costly and ineffective campaign in the Netherlands. In total, the failed invasion was a disaster for Spain and a watershed moment in English history, helping to define the nation and serve as a rallying cry in later national crises, such as the 1940 Battle of Britain. Publication History and Census Mercator himself engraved this map for inclusion in his Atlas , although he would not live to see it published as this first edition appeared a year after his death. The plates were later purchased by Jodocus Hondius, who continued to use them as the basis for his own atlases, gradually adding additional plates. The map remained unchanged.

1st Edition. Very good. Mends to bottom centerfold, some scuffing to border. Else excellent with a bold strike. Size 13.5 x 15 Inches. This is a superb, 1595 first atlas edition of Gerard Mercator's map of the east part of Ulster, Ireland. It is the earliest specific map of the northern part of Ireland to appear in an atlas. A Closer Look It comprises most of what is now Northern Ireland. The map extends from the eastern half of Lough Erne to the Irish Sea. The river 'Gallen' in the northwest is probably the river Foyle. The northern limit of the map appears to be modern-day Larne and Ballymena; it reaches as far south as the Boyne and county Lough and part of County Meath. It is richly detailed, noting towns, rivers, and lakes. Mountains and forests are beautifully rendered in profile. Predominant View of Ulster of the Early 17th Century Mercator initially addressed the geography of Ireland in his 1564 wall map of the British Isles. His delineation of Ireland in that map was influential, to the extent that Ortelius reproduced it faithfully in his 1573 map. By the time Mercator produced this map, however, he moved beyond his earlier work. A cursory comparison of the Ireland of the 1564 map and this work shows drastic differences throughout. The level of detail exhibited, along with the ubiquity of Irish place names, suggests that Mercator had access to detailed surveys, executed in Ireland, by an Irish or English mapmaker. A convincing candidate is the surveyor Robert Lythe, whose surveys added over three thousand Irish place names to the historical record during his 1567-1571 tenure as military engineer under Sir Henry Sidney, the Queen's deputy in Ireland. Although Lythe eventually mapped the entire island, his surveys between 1567 and 1569 were focused specifically on the region covered here - and those, mainly concentrated on the southeastern parts of the province: the north and west were difficult to travel, and dangerous in particular for an English surveyor in an Irish province whose populace was not as thoroughly subdued as Lythe's employers hoped. Publication History and Census Mercator himself engraved this map for inclusion in his Atlas , although he would not live to see it published as this first edition appeared a year after his death. The plates were later purchased by Jodocus Hondius, who continued to use them as the basis for his own atlases, gradually adding additional plates. The map remained in the Hondius / Jansson atlases unchanged until 1633, at which point Mercator's name was removed and the cartouche altered. In that second state, the map remained in the atlas until 1644. This present map is an example of the first state and conforms typographically with examples of the 1595 first Latin edition of Mercator's Atlas . In various editions, examples appear on the market from time to time, and the map is reasonably well represented in institutional collections. References: OCLC 633645283. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, (Vol. 1), 5941:1. Law, B., The printed maps of Ireland to 1612, p.19-20.

Very good. Evenly toned. Else excellent with generous margins. Size 13.75 x 18.5 Inches. This is Gerard Mercator's 1585 map Switzerland, considered the second atlas map of the Confederation. A Closer Look The northern-oriented map covers the entire country, from the northern parts of Italy (inclusive of the Lago di Garda) up to the Boden Zee and the Upper Rhine; the west part of the map abuts on France and a glimpse of southern Germany appears at the upper right. The mountainous terrain is indicated pictorially, boldly engraved. The waters of the lakes are shown with stippling: the flow of the Rhine through the Boden See is shown with waves, made distinct from the rest of the lake. Improving the Field Until the engraving of this map in 1585, all printed maps were based on the 1528 map of Aegidius Tschudi. Notably, those of Sebastian Münster and Abraham Ortelius were both derived from Tschudi. Mercator started from the same point, but he revised and corrected the significant latitudinal distortion (28 degrees!) which characterized all the Tschudi-based maps. Mercator's mapping would remain the standard for Swiss cartography for the next two centuries. Publication History and Census This is among the earliest of Mercator's modern maps: he engraved this map in 1585 for inclusion in his Tabulae Geographicae Galliae, Belgii Inferioris et Germaniae . His heirs included it in his posthumous 1595 Atlas and it stayed in the Mercator/ Hondius atlases until its replacement in 1638. This example conforms typographically to the 1623 Latin text edition of the Hondius atlas. In its many editions, the map is well represented in institutional collections. References: OCLC 159849561 (1628) Rumsey 10554.038.

1st Edition. Very good. Some toning and foxing. Mended centerfold split; printers' crease. Size 14.5 x 18.25 Inches. This is a vivid 1628 Hondius edition of Mercator's 1595 America , one of the most visually arresting early maps of the Western Hemisphere. Michael Mercator Michael Mercator has framed his grandfather's geography in a circular border surrounded by intertwined cornucopiae and vines. The circular motif is repeated in the engraving's corners, with four medallions bearing the cartouche and three inset maps depicting the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, and Haiti. Taken together, it is a unique and artful depiction of arguably the most important new discoveries to be included in the 1595 Mercator Atlas . (Incidentally, this format [circular central maps with corner medallions and acanthus borderwork] is most unusual and evident in only two Mercator atlas maps, both 1595 editions: the present map and Mercator's iconic Arctic. Although only one of these maps bears Michael Mercator's imprint, he was clearly an accomplished engraver, and we must speculate whether he also had a hand in the Arctic map) A Family Affair The geographical information is likely derived from Gerard Mercator's lost 1569 wall map of America, while the projection resembles that used by Gerard's son Rumold in his 1587 double-hemisphere map of the world. The map's design and execution were the work of the elder's grandson, Michael, shortly after Gerard's death in 1594. The present work is the sole map to bear Michael's imprint - but it is evidently not the work of a beginner. The skill of the engraving speaks to a long apprenticeship under the elder Mercator. The Caribbean Insets At the time this map was executed, it represented the only map in the Mercator atlas that would be dedicated to the western hemisphere. The 'Mercator/Hondius' maps of the American southeast, the Caribbean islands, and the Strait of Magellan would not be added to the Atlas until it was in the hands of Jodocus Hondius. This being the case, Mercator's inclusion of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in the three roundels on this map represented the sharpest focus on any specific part of the Americas in the Atlas . Mercator chose to highlight a) the Gulf of Mexico, b) the waters around Cuba, Jamaica, Florida, and the Bahamas, and c) the island of Hispaniola. Here, Mercator's use of the place name 'Haiti' is distinctive: the elder Mercator being the earliest to use it consistently. Norombega This riverside city in the northeast part of North America perpetuated a tale of a mysterious, legendary city. It appeared on many early maps of New England, starting with Verrazano's 1529 manuscript map of America. He used the term, Oranbega , which in Algonquin means 'lull in the river'. The first detailed reference to Norombega appeared in the 1542 journals of the French navigator Jean Allefonsce, who discovered and apparently sailed some distance up the Penobscot River, where he encountered a fur-rich American Indian city, to which he applied the placename. After that, the existence of the city would be supported by later travelers - Andre Thevet (1502 - 1590) in 1550 and David Ingram in 1562. Ingram, in particular, produced an elaborately embroidered report inspired by the legends of El Dorado, Cibola, and other lost cities. Thus, Norombega was established as a fabulous city of riches, inspiring expeditions such as that of Samuel de Champlain (1567 - 1635). A Hint at the Great Lakes Upriver from the city of Hochelaga (modern-day Montreal) is a cluster of small lakes, which may be an embryonic Great Lakes. In the interior, near Arctic Canada, is a large lake - here noted as a freshwater sea, 'Mare dulcum aquarium.' This, too, could have been inspired by indigenous reports of the Great Lakes despite its northern position, resembling James Bay or perhaps Lake Winnipeg. Arctic Islands To the extreme north, two of Mercator's four polar Islands appear. The elder Mercator compiled lost Arthurian histories, the account.

Very good. Toned; mended centerfold at bottom with no loss; full margins and a bold strike. Size 14.25 x 18.75 Inches. An attractive example of Gerard Mercator's 1595 map of Scandinavia, in its first French atlas edition of 1609. Among the maps of the northern parts of Europe produced in the sixteenth century, this is the first to focus narrowly on Scandinavia. Ginsberg, typically laconic in praise, notes that the map 'gave the Scandinavian peninsula its correct form' and 'became the model for nearly all subsequent maps of Scandinavia.' This basic model would stand until supplanted in the mid-17th century by the work of Anders Bure. The Scope Mercator's map is closely constrained to Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Lappia (Kola Peninsula). Thus, the map also illustrates northwestern Russia, Estonia, and northern Denmark. It is significantly richer in detail than the mapping of this region appearing on Mercator's 1569 world map, so while the two may share sources, one is not copied from the other. Mercator additionally drew on the work of Olaus Magnus. Publication History and Census This map was engraved by Gerard Mercator sometime after 1585 but was not published until 1595 by his heirs in the posthumous Atlas sive Cosmographicae . It was included in editions of the Mercator / Hondius atlas until 1633. The typography of the verso text conforms to examples of the 1609 Hondius French-text edition of the atlas. The separate map is well represented in institutional collections. References: OCLC 159839087. Rumsey 10501.118 (1607). Van der Krogt, P. C. J., Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, (3 Vols),1210:1A Ginsberg, W. Printed Maps of Scandinavia, no. 34, pp. 139-45. Ginsberg, W. Scandia: Important Early Maps of the Northern Regions and Maps and Charts of Norway, no. 27.

1st Edition. Very good. Marginal mend at bottom, away from printed image; reinforced at upper centerfold. Some marginal soiling and a spot to lower right, else excellent with wide margins and a bold strike. Size 14.75 x 18.25 Inches. This is a fine first edition example of Gerard Mercator's 1595 map of Asia, the second map of the continent to appear in an atlas. It presents Asia as it was understood at the beginning of the Dutch effort to extend power into the Spice Islands, and at the dawn of the drive to discover alternative routes to the East Indies that would bypass the Portuguese stranglehold on the Asia trade. This map exhibits a fine early strike, with strong clear lines and bold paper/ink contrast. A Closer Look The map extends across the Pacific to include New Guinea, the Philippines, and part of North America. While the interior still contains place names and geographical features that would have been familiar to Strabo, Ptolemy, and Marco Polo, the coastline of Asia is filled with contemporary detail. The coastline of the subcontinent shows access to the best Dutch cartography of the late 16th century. The map includes parts of North America across the mythical 'Strait of Anian'. In addition to the place name Anian, America contains several other place names, notably Coronado's 'Quivira,' the hoped-for location of the legendary seven cities of gold. The southeast portion of the map includes Sumatra, a recognizable Malay Peninsula, and a reasonably well-informed treatment of the Philippines and the Spice Islands. Sri Lanka appears in its proper location and correct naming ( Zeilam ins. ) rather than the Ptolemaic Taprobana ; a note assigns that name as the name for Sumatra known in antiquity. New Guinea appears in part, and in the lower right corner is a glimpse of 'Terrae Australis Pars' : not, alas, an early glimpse of the modern continent of Australia, but the northern extent of the then-undiscovered and legendary terra Australis, or Antarctica. In the north, there is yet no note of Barentz's discoveries for the Dutch in and around Nova Zemlya, and a portion of Mercator's Terrae Polaris is illustrated (two of Mercator's four Arctic landmasses appear). Japan is shown in the early 'kite' form that appeared on Mercator's 1569 world map. Korea does not yet appear. A Superb Engraving The map's rich array of place names are elegantly and clearly engraved, predominantly in the Italic font whose use in maps Mercator had pioneered. The map is embellished with a beautiful strapwork cartouche and a fine sailing ship appears ready to sail north between Asia and America. (A feat which would not be achieved until the 18th century - at the time this map was printed the separation of the two continents had not yet been established as fact.) Publication History and Census This is the first edition of Mercator's Asia, appearing in the 1595 first edition of Mercator's Atlas . It would continue to appear in Hondius editions of the Atlas , despite the elder Jodocus Hondius having engraved a thoroughly updated version of the map in 1606. The verso text of the present example conforms with the first Atlas edition of 1595. We see sixteen examples of the separate map listed in OCLC. References: OCLC36746150. Van der Krogt, P. C. J., Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, (Vol. 1), 8000:1A. Rumsey 10501.055.

1st Edition. Very good. Offset stains resulting from oxidation of the original green. Centerfold reinforced near bottom. Generous margins and original color. Size 14.75 x 18.25 Inches. This is the 1595 first atlas edition of Gerard Mercator's map of Africa. The map is a classic, early Dutch depiction of the continent derived from Gerard Mercator's 1569 wall map of the world. It was engraved by the illustrious Gerard's grandson, Gerard the Younger, whose command of the engravers' craft is brilliantly apparent. Same Sources - Different Results The elder Mercator incorporated several modern sources in compiling the Africa data for his 1569 world map. These included Waldseemüller's 1513 maps of northwest and south Africa. As well, for much of his general outline he relied on the 1564 Gastaldi wall map of Africa. Since Gastaldi's map and the reports of Leo Africanus informed Ortelius as well, it is remarkable the extent to which Mercator's map resembles neither those of Ortelius nor Gastaldi. Mercator's map includes very different river systems. For example, the R. de Infante (Great Fish River, South Africa), whose length is exaggerated in all maps of this era, appears to run directly north on the Gastaldi, extending well above the tropic of Capricorn. Mercator's map reduces the length of the river and presents its angular course more accurately. Also, Mercator's depiction of the Abyssinian river systems differ significantly from the Ortelius/Gastaldi, as does his naming of kingdoms in the region - all suggesting a familiarity with contemporaneous Portuguese sources beyond those available to Gastaldi. Prester John The Portuguese were, in the mid sixteenth century, the most active Europeans in East Africa. In part, their goal was to contact and open relations with the Coptic Christian Abyssinian kingdoms of the Upper Nile. European travelers and geographers believed this, and not the Far East, was the location of the fabled kingdom of Prester John. Accordingly, Mercator's map presents the enthroned, crucifix-displaying ruler just west of the Nile between the kingdoms of Nubia, Barnagas, and Tigre. Publication History and Census Gerard Mercator the Younger engraved this map and it was included in the first, posthumous 1595 edition of Mercator's Atlas Sive Cosmographicae Meditationes De Fabrica Mundi et Fabricati Figura . It remained in the atlases after Hondius' purchase of the plates until 1633, staying in publication concurrently with Hondius' own Nova Africae Tabula . In its various editions the map is well represented in institutional collections and appears occasionally on the market. This specific example conforms typographically to the first, 1595 printing of the atlas. We see six examples of this 1595 Duisberg edition of the separate map in institutional collections, and about thirty examples of the 1595 atlas in OCLC. References: OCLC 633410478. Betz 31; Norwich 21. van der Krogt 8600 : 1A.

1st Edition. Excellent. Light marginal soiling, else a fine example with an uncommonly sharp strike. Size 13 x 16.5 Inches. This is a superb, 1595 first atlas edition of Gerard Mercator's map of Ireland. It is one of the earliest maps of Ireland, the second to appear in an atlas, and the first produced by Mercator. Oriented to the west, the map covers the Emerald Isle in detail, noting towns, rivers, lakes, forests, mountains, and a host of additional topographic features. Mountains and forests are beautifully rendered in profile. The map divides Ireland into the four provinces of Ulster, Connaught, Leinster, and Munster. The Predominant View of Ireland of the Early 17th Century Mercator had addressed the geography of Ireland previously, in his 1564 wall map of the British Isles. His delineation of Ireland in that map was influential, to the extent that Ortelius reproduced it faithfully in his 1573 map of Ireland. By the time Mercator produced this map, however, he had clearly moved beyond his earlier work. A cursory comparison of the Ireland of the 1564 map and this work shows drastic differences throughout. The level of detail exhibited, along with the ubiquity of Irish place names, suggests that Mercator had encountered detailed surveys, executed in Ireland, by an Irish or English mapmaker. A convincing candidate is the surveyor Robert Lythe, whose surveys added over three thousand Irish place names to the historical record during his 1567-1571 tenure as military engineer under Sir Henry Sidney, the Queen's deputy. J. H. Andrews, in his 1992 address to the 24th Annual Name Study Conference in Belfast, identifies Mercator's maps among those 'based wholly or largely' on Lythe's surveys. Over ninety percent of Lythe's place names recorded on his surveys were at least attempts at the original Irish names, rather than English replacements; thus the present work represents a remarkable glimpse of Irish toponymy of the 16th century. The resultant geography remained state of the art well into the 17th century - both maps independently derived from Leith's surveys, or maps directly cribbed from Mercator's. Publication History and Census Mercator himself engraved this map for inclusion in Atlas , although he would not live to see it published as this first edition appeared a year after his death. The plates were later purchased by Jodocus Hondius, who continued to use them as the basis for his own atlases, gradually adding additional plates. The map remained in the Hondius / Jansson atlases unchanged until 1636, at which point Mercator's name was removed. Shortly thereafter, Jansson replaced the map with an entirely new work. This present map is an example of the first state and conforms typographically with examples of the 1595 first Latin edition of Mercator's Atlas . In various editions, examples appear on the market from time to time and the map is reasonably well represented in institutional collections. References: OCLC 635194898. Law, B., The printed maps of Ireland to 1612, p.19-20.

1st Edition. Very good. Printer's crease in surface of Jersey map; else excellent with a bold strike and generous margins. Size 12.5 x 17 Inches. This is the 1595 first edition of Gerard Mercator's map of the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, Guernsey and Jersey. It was the first map to provide detailed focus on these islands to appear in a general atlas. All four maps are sharply detailed, with towns and topography indicated throughout; each individual map is provided its own scale, and each is titled within an elegant cartouche. The seas around Anglesey and Jersey are stippled, while those around Wight and Guernsey are hachured: the composition overall thus gives a pleasing checkerboard effect. Sources Mercator's map of Anglesey is not identical to Saxton's 1581 mapping of the island, but the toponymy is near enough to strongly suggest a connection. Saxton is a better fit, in any case, than Mercator's own presentation of the island on his 1564 wall map of England, or in Humphrey Lhuyd's map of Wales reproduced in 1573 by Ortelius. The mapping of the Isle of Wight very closely resembles the 1591 manuscript of the island by Baptista Boazio, even in such particulars as the six hilltop navigational beacons, but whether Mercator got his map from Boazio, or vice versa, or both drew upon an unknown mutual source can't be definitively determined. Both of the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey appear on Mercator's 1564 map, but in insufficient detail to consider this as a source. Both show hills in profile, and enough placenames to suggest a firsthand source. At least some answers are clear: the map of Guernsey is an unmistakable copy of a c. 1560 manuscript produced by Reyner Wolfe (d. 1573). The map of Jersey is harder to place, but both maps include pictorial representation of dangerous rocks imperiling any approach to the islands - and the Wolfe manuscript is notable in showing those rocks in the same fashion as on Mercator's. The presentation of coastal rocks surrounding Jersey, in the same style as appear around Guernsey, is strongly suggestive of the source being the same. In the absence of a surviving copy, it is possible only to speculate, but both context and style suggest that Mercator had access to maps both of Guernsey and Jersey sourced from Wolfe. This was the last of the maps dedicated to the British Isles in Mercator's atlas. Consequently, it ends with a note referring the reader to other Historical sources: Si quis plura de Britannicis insulis scire desiderat, is legat Georgium Buchananum, Guilielmum Camdenum, Johannem Lesleium, Richard Stanihurstum et Raphaelem Holmsheadium, qui diligentissime has insulas descripserunt. ('If anyone wishes to know more about the British Isles, he should refer to George Buchanan, William Camden, John Leslie, Richard Stanyhurst, and Raphael Holinshed, who have most carefully described these islands.') This note is also suggestive of a possible connection with Reyner Wolfe: he had begun the compilation of a chronicle of England, Scotland and Ireland, which though incomplete would be completed with the assistance of the same Holinshed, Harrison, and Stanyhurst whose work he praised. Publication History and Census This map was engraved by Gerard Mercator for inclusion in the third volume of his atlas, which was not published until 1595 by his heirs in the posthumous Atlas sive Cosmographicae . It was included in editions of the Mercator / Hondius atlas without change until 1644, at which point Jansson replaced the map in his editions of the atlas with a new plate. The typography of the verso text on our example conforms to the 1595 first edition of the Mercator atlas. The map is well represented in institutional collections in its later editions. This first issue of 1595 is scarce. References: OCLC 843398126. Rumsey 10501.115 (1607) Van der Krogt, P. C. J., Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, (Vol. 1), 5700:1A. Karrow, R. W., Mapmakers of the Sixteenth Century and their Maps 56/159.

1st Edition. Excellent. Some marginal soiling. Centerfold reinforced at bottom margin, not impacting image. Else fine with a bold strike and generous margins. Size 13.25 x 16.75 Inches. This is a superb example of Gerard Mercator's 1595 map of Transylvania, covering what is now central Romania, in its first edition. A Closer Look The region is defined on the map by its surrounding mountain ranges, here dramatically presented in profile: The Eastern Carpathian mountains to the northwest, and the Hargita mountains to the northeast, bordering with Ukraine (labeled Russia here.) The Southern Carpathians, also known as the Transylvanian Alps, lie to the south and east form a border between Transylvania and Wallachia. These mountains surround the Transylvanian Plateau, and it is this region whose cities are detailed in the map. Based on the pictorial depictions of the cities indicating their relative size, Alba Iulia, Cluj-Napoca (Clausenburg), Hermannstadt,(Sibiu,) and Corona (Kronstadt / Brasov) appear as the primary cities. The predominance of German city and town names throughout the map reveals Mercator's main source for the map: the Transylvanian Johannes Honter's 1532 Chorographia Transylvaniae , the first printed map of Transylvania. (surviving in a single institutional example.) Honter, an ethnically German Transylvanian Saxon, primarily used Germanic placenames in his map. Publication History and Census This map was drawn by Gerard Mercator, and probably also engraved by him for inclusion in his atlas; it would not be printed until 1595 in Mercator's posthumous Atlas, sive Cosmographicĉ meditationes de fabrica mundi et fabricati figura . The map continued to be printed in the Mercator/ Hondius atlas until 1623. Thereafter it was replaced with Hondius' map of the same title. While the present map is not difficult to find in later printings, this 1595 first edition is quite scarce. References: OCLC 633692064. Rumsey 10501.148 (1607) Van der Krogt, P. C. J., Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, (Vol. 1), 7700 1:A.1.

1st Edition. Excellent. Some marginal soiling. Centerfold reinforced at bottom margin, not impacting image. Else fine with a bold strike and generous margins. Size 14.75 x 17.5 Inches. This is a superb example of Gerard Mercator's 1595 map of the kingdom of Denmark, in its first edition. It shows the kingdom during the prosperous 16th century, during which it controlled both sides of the entrance to the Baltic Sea. A Closer Look The Kingdom of Denmark at this point included not only the Danish Peninsula and its islands, with Holstein, Mecklenburg and Rügen, but also the lands of Halland, Skċne and Blekinge, which eventually passed to Sweden as part of the treaty of Roskilde. Mercator's map is superbly engraved, with his dramatically hachured waves gracing the sea areas of the map. Off the Danish west coast near Heligoland (here Heilig landt ) a sea monster breaks the surface. Publication History and Census This map was drawn by Gerard Mercator, and probably also engraved by him for inclusion in his atlas; it would not be printed until 1595 in Mercator's posthumous Atlas, sive Cosmographicĉ meditationes de fabrica mundi et fabricati figura . The map continued to be printed in the Mercator/ Hondius atlas until 1636. Thereafter it was replaced with Hondius' Daniae nova Descriptio . While the present map is not difficult to find in later printings, this 1595 first edition is quite scarce, appearing in only five institutions. References: OCLC 801767209. Rumsey 10501.124 (1607) Van der Krogt, P. C. J., Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, (Vol. 1), 1500 1:A.1.

Very good. Light toning and mat burn; else excellent with generous margins and attractive original color. Size 12.75 x 16.25 Inches. This is a beautiful, original-color example of Gerard Mercator's 1595 map of the British Isles, in its 1623 Hondius edition. This would be the definitive map of the British Isles for many subsequent decades. A Closer Look The present map represents a major update on Mercator's 1564 8-sheet wall map of the British Isles. He sourced much of his cartographic detail for England and Wales from the 1581 Christopher Saxton map, and Ireland from Lawrence Nowell's unfinished works. Mercator's own delineation of Scotland would stand. According to Shirley, it would ' remain the standard outline, apart from minor improvements by Speed, until a new map of Scotland by Robert Gordon was published in 1654 '. In Mercator's Own Hand Although the atlas was published posthumously by Mercator's heirs, this is among the maps engraved personally by the master. Mercator's immaculate engraving features a baroque strapwork title cartouche in the upper left, beautiful calligraphic lettering, and fine stippling in the seas. Shirley hailed this work as ' one of restrained decoration and balance '. For the sake of legibility, Mercator had to assign a number of place names to numbered lists keyed to the map. The Latin note explains: ' The narrowness of space prohibited writing some names with their circles '. Publication History and Census This map was engraved by Gerard Mercator after 1585, but was not published until 1595 by his heirs in the posthumous Atlas sive Cosmographicae . It was included in editions of the Mercator / Hondius atlas until 1630. The typography of the verso text conforms to the 1623 and 1630 editions of the Hondius atlas. Nineteen examples of the separate map appear in institutional collections in a variety of editions. References: OCLC 801754092. Rumsey 10501.067 (1607). Shirley, R., Early Printed Maps of the British Isles. A Bibliography, 1477-1650, 180.

1st Edition. Very good. Generous margins. Minor corner reinstatement upper right - limited out outer margin. Size 15 x 16 Inches. This is the first edition, first state of Gerard Mercator's seminal 1595 map of the Arctic, the great cartographer's most interesting and important atlas map. In this first edition, it is the scarcest of Mercator's atlas maps and a holy grail for any Arctic collector. For all its flaws and inaccuracies, it is a schematized interpretation of factual voyages between Norway, England, Iceland, Greenland, and Labrador (Markland). Context of this Polar Projection Mercator's Arctic projection has its roots in a magnificent 1569 wall map of the world in which Mercator first introduces his revolutionary projection. The difficulty with the Mercator Projection is that it dramatically inflates the appearance of size it draws near to the poles: its application to the polar regions themselves would result in an infinitely tall map. Mercator therefore included a polar projection, very similar to the map shown here, in the lower-left corner of his wall map. Mercator produced the present map, expanded and updated from his wall map, for inclusion in the first edition of his Atlas , published posthumously in 1595. As such, it is the first specific separate map of the Arctic. Taking it from the Top At the North Pole, Mercator depicts a large black rock, the Rupes Nigra , surrounded by a great whirlpool fed by four powerful rivers - 'the Indrawing Seas'. These divide a massive continent-sized landmass into four distinct islands. When the English polymath John Dee wrote to Mercator asking about his sources for this map, Mercator returned the following letter which survives in his own hand (April 20, 1577, British Library): In the midst of the four countries is a Whirl-pool, into which there empty these four indrawing Seas which divide the North. And the water rushes round and descends into the Earth just as if one were pouring it through a filter funnel. It is four degrees wide on every side of the Pole, that is to say eight degrees altogether. Except that right under the Pole there lies a bare Rock in the midst of the Sea. Its circumference is almost 33 French miles, and it is all of magnetic Stone () This is word for word everything that I copied out of this author years ago. The author to which Mercator referred is the Dutch traveler Jacobus Cnoyen van Tsertoghenbosche, whose report combined firsthand encounters with interpretations of an enigmatic lost work, the Inventio Fortunata (Fortunate Discoveries). This 14th century work, now largely forgotten, was a well-known resource for cartographers of the 15th and 16th centuries. The mysterious author may have been Nicholas of Lynn, Thomas Kingsbury, or Hugh of Ireland. The work told of a Minorite monk from Oxford who traveled extensively in northern lands, including Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and possibly even Labrador. The Inventio also cited far older lost works, the Principio Gestorum Arturi and the Leges Anglorum Londoniis Collectae , which contributed a chapter to the legend of King Arthur, casting him as a 6th century Arctic explorer, and describing Arthurian conquests of Iceland, Greenland, the Faeroes, parts of Norway, and even the North Pole. King Arthur - Arctic Explorer The Inventio described Arthur's invading Arctic army as consisting of some 4000 men on 12 ships. He sent the army into one of these 'indrawing seas', apparently the only way to bypass the 'Encircling Arctic Mountains'. According to John Dee, in Arthur's time there were cities lying beyond those mountains. Perhaps unsurprisingly, no further report of this momentous invasion appears in Arthurian record. In the fourteenth century, at the court of King Hċkan Magnusson (1340 - 1380) in Norway, Cnoyen met and interviewed eight travelers from northern regions. One, a priest, even carried an astrolabe. Historian E. G. Taylor ('A letter dated 1577 from Mercator to John Dee.' Imago Mundi 13:5668) believed Cnoy.

1st Edition. Very good condition. Two very small surface mends with virtually no loss. Else excellent. Size 12.25 x 15.5 Inches. This is the 1595 first state of Mercator's map of the Crimea, still known to geographers by its Ptolemaic name of Taurica Chersonesus . The engraving is bold and sharp - a product of the youth of the copperplate. Many recognizable place names can be found on this detailed map, including Kiev, Moscow, Smolensk, and Chernobyl. The course of the Dniepr river is particularly well detailed. The primary focus of this map, however, is Muscovy's extremely fluid southeastern border with the Crimean Tatars. The border garrisons of Ryazan (Rezan on the map) and the Crimea suffered yearly assaults from the steppes. Moscow's response - the annual raising of an army of tens of thousands to patrol this border - was instrumental in developing the centralized power of the Tsar in the 16th and 17th centuries. Publication History and Census This map was engraved by Gerard Mercator and included by his heirs in the first editions of that geographer's atlas; the present example is of the 1595, first atlas edition. The plate was acquired by Jodocus Hondius along with the rest, and it appeared in the Hondius atlas until the plate was replaced by a new map in 1636. This edition appears separately in only seven institutional collections; later issues are more common. References: OCLC 38904725. Van der Krogt, P. C. J., Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, (3 Vols), 1890:1 A.1.

Very good. Old reinforcement of lower centerfold; some scuffing at top and bottom of centerfold: else excellent with a sharp strike and rich original color. Size 14.5 x 18.75 Inches. A beautiful, original color example of Gerard Mercator's map of central Italy, focusing on Rome and the Roman Campagna. The superb engraving is the work of Mercator himself, most notable in the water areas, the elegant strapwork cartouche, and the precise Italic lettering. Forests and mountains are shown pictorially. Towns are illustrated with simple marks, although larger cities are shown as clusters of houses heightened in red color. These of course include Rome, but also Ostia, Alba, Palestrina, Formia, Terracina, and others. Also marked in red, to the east of Rome, is one of the ruined Roman aqueducts. Rivers are pictured in detail. A Lake You Can See, a Lake You Can't At the western extreme of the map is shown Lake Bracciano. This volcanic lake remains an important tourist attraction, as well as being a key reservoir for the city of Rome. At the northeastern corner of the Roman Campagna is shown a larger lake - the Lago di Celano, also known as the Fucine Lake. This great endorheic lake was the third largest lake in Italy, and would remain so until it was drained in 1878 (thus producing one of Italy's most fertile plains.) Publication History and Census This map was engraved by Gerard Mercator for inclusion in his Atlas in 1589. Beginning in 1606, it was among the plates purchased by Jodocus Hondius for use in his own edition of the Atlas. This specific example appeared in the second Hondius edition of 1607 - 1608. The map remained in all subsequent editions of the book until it was replaced by Jansson in 1635. Consequently, it is well represented in institutional collections. Two examples from this specific edition are cataloged in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and the Biblioteca Nacional de Espana. References: OCLC 255608557. van der Krogt, P. Koeman's Atlantes NeerlandiciVolume 1, #7310 A. 1:102.