A fine rare English double-hemispheric seventeenth century world map. “In September 1678 Robert Morden (fl. 1669, d. 1703) and William Berry (1639-1718) petitioned the crown for “a licence to do all general and particular maps of the several parts of the world according to an alphabeticall manner”. Morden’s connection with what appears to be the birth of the folio atlas is not heard of again. Berry began publishing a series of large two sheet maps with a group of the world and continents advertised in the ‘London Gazette’, from 1-5 July 1680. The world is also announced in the ‘Term Catalogues’ for the summer of that year. This only mentions the world map, which would undoubtedly have been finished first, and the continents would have followed. Berry did not advertise his next two sheet map, that of England, until February 1682.“Through the 1680s Berry published nearly forty large maps of parts of the world, sufficient to cover it all. From the late 1680s he clearly offered them bound together as a collection of maps as a handful of examples are known, but this was clearly not the intention for the maps, as none have borne any title page. Examples are known in the British Library, the Library of Congress and the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, all bearing either thirty-seven or thirty-eight maps. An example has been noted for sale by Maggs Brothers, which bore sixty-nine maps, the balance being made up of contemporary English maps by other cartographers dating the atlas to c.1704, and two further offered at Christies, auctions in London in the 1980s” (Burden). Cartographically the world map is drawn directly from that of Alexis-Hubert Jaillot, 1674. Jaillot’s map was, in turn, derived from Nicolas Sanson’s geography, who is here recognised in the running title above, ‘Described by Sanson Corrected and amended By William Berry’. Sanson had far more of a reputation in cartographic circles than Jaillot so it is natural that Berry would use his name. These ‘amendments’ include the patriotically named islands off Tierra del Fuego and ‘New Albion’ placed in California. New Guinea is distinctly an island and there is no southern continent. An ornate cartouche lower centre includes an effusive dedication to Charles II. Armitage (2012) pp. 41 & 99-100; Burden (1996-2007) 532; Phillips (1909-) 3442; Shirley (1984) 501; Shirley (2004) T.Berr 1a; Tyacke (1973) p. 76; Tyacke (1978) no. 100 & pp. 109-10.

Willem Janszoon, or Blaeu as he was later to be known, had been issuing separately published maps since 1604. The only atlases he was producing at this time were of the sea. In 1606 he produced this CLASSIC SINGLE SHEET MAP OF THE WORLD on Mercator’s projection. This map arguably more than any other helped to popularise the by now nearly fifty year old projection. It is celebrated as one of the supreme examples of the map maker’s art’ (Shirley). Schilder praises the map very highly stating that the “balanced composition and elegant ornamentation make this world map one of the small masterpieces of the seventeenth century”.Cartographically it is drawn from Blaeu’s own double-hemispheric projection 20-sheet wall map, the sole surviving example is in the Hispanic Society of America, New York, in rather poor condition. Its engraver is believed to be Joshua van den Ende who also produced this single sheet map. The wall map was published at the behest of the Dutch States-General who encouraged Blaeu to utilise the very latest knowledge. As a result it is the most accurate world map published to date. Because Mercator’s projection particularly distorted the higher latitudes Blaeu incorporates in the lower corners two hemispherical maps of the Polar Regions. It is dedicated to Cornelis Pietersz Hooft (1547-1626) a wealthy administrator and merchant in Amsterdam. At the same time Blaeu was working on a four-sheet version also in Mercator’s projection. This map was known in just two examples prior to the Second World War and both were lost in the conflict. In 1980 the four map sheets alone were discovered in Berne, Switzerland.In 1617 the results of Jacob le Maire and Willem Cornelisz Schouten’s voyage around Cape Horn became known. They showed that Tierra del Fuego was an island and not connected to the unknown southern continent. Owing to law suits that were filed between the Australian Company and the Dutch East India Company, Blaeu was legally barred from incorporating this new information on his maps and globes in July 1617. This restriction was not lifted until August of the following year. Blaeu immediately updated this work to include ‘Fretum Magalanicum’ and ‘State landt’. The first three states of the map were separately published and as such are of extreme rarity. It is the fourth state which was incorporated into Blaeu’s first folio terrestrial atlas, the ‘Atlantis Appendix’ of 1630. This was Blaeu’s first attempt at a world atlas, largely instigated by his purchase in 1629 of a number of Jodocus Hondius’ plates, and in the following years he would experiment with various formats. The ‘Atlas Novus’ as it would become was issued from 1635 to 1658 expanding along the way to consist of six volumes. This map’s popularity rests on its association with arguably the greatest Dutch cartographer of all time. One of the classic features of the map is the four decorative border panels. Above are seven allegorical images of the sun, moon and the five planets known. The left side features four vignettes of the elements - Fire, Air, Water and Earth. The right displays the four seasons. Matching the seven vignettes above are seven below of the wonders of the world. Schilder in his ‘Monumenta’ IV details magnificently the origin of much of this imagery. Blaeu died in 1638 and the business passed to his sons, Cornelis and Joan. The latter particularly carried the family name and was the driving force behind the multi-volume ‘Atlas Major’. Provenance: private English collection since the 1970s. Van der Krogt (1997-2003) 0001:2A; Shirley (1984) 255, state 4; Schilder (1993) 10.4 pp. 41, 171-83; Schilder (2000) 1.4 pp. 86-9.

The 'Isolario', or ‘book of islands’, was a cartographic form introduced and developed in Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries. Like the portolano, or pilot-book, to which it was related, it had its origin in the Mediterranean, as an illustrated guide for travellers in the Aegean Archipelago and the Levant. Bordone’s 'Isolario' was the second to be printed and the first to give prominence to the transatlantic discoveries. Skelton quotes Almagia as saying that it is, in fact, ‘the earliest complete work of its kind to have been produced by the printing-press in Italy or anywhere else.’ The 'Isolario' is divided into three books, devoted respectively to the ‘islands and peninsulas’ of the western ocean, to the Mediterranean, and to the islands of the Indian Ocean and the Far East. While this order corresponds very roughly to that of Ptolemy, it gives conspicuous priority to the discoveries across the Atlantic. The most desirable map in the atlas is this classic oval world map, for many years thought to be the first printed in this projection. It is in fact derived from the exceedingly scarce Francesco Rosselli map of c.1508. However unlike the Rosselli, Bordone omits the unknown land at the South Pole and separates the continents of Asia and America. The six traditional wind directions are marked and named outside the map. This example is from the second of four editions which was published in 1534. It is the earliest obtainable world map in an oval projection. Provenance: acquired from Tooley Adams January 2012. Bordone (1460-1531) was a Paduan illuminator and wood-engraver who was apparently established at Venice by 1494. Skelton, TOT facsimile edition; Harrisse 'Bibliotheca Americana Vetustissima', no. 187; Nordenskiöld, A.E. (Facsimile) pp. 103-4; Shirley World 59; Skelton Introduction to facsimile edition; World Encompassed no. 83.

Sometime after 1684 the firm of Danckerts were granted a privilege protecting their works. Soon after Justus Danckerts published this attractive double hemisphere world map. California is depicted with a double bay northern shore and above that is ‘Terra Esonis’ the confused coastline common amongst cartographers of the day. New Guinea is depicted as an island with the York Peninsula below it, the remainder of ‘Hollandia Nova’ is found on the eastern hemisphere. The whole is finished with polar hemispheres top and bottom and attractive allegorical scenes in the four corners. There is only one recorded state of the plate. It is unclear which Justus Danckerts was responsible for the plate, father or son. Provenance: private English collection since 1978. Shirley (1984) 529.

A pair of maps in their first state of the polar hemispheres. The northern displays California as a peninsula and a spartan northern Pacific. The south polar map depicts the routes of explorers including Tasman. These highlight one of the features that De L'Isle is most highly regarded for, that being to leave blank any area for which no knowledge was known. Earlier cartographers were wont to insert guesswork coastlines and topographical features. From the 'Atlas Nouveau'. Good impressions. Clancy 6.26; Tooley Australia no. 1512; Wagner (NW) no. 504

A lovely double hemisphere world map with four ornate scenic cartouches. George Louis Le Rouge was a military engineer who took up cartography from about 1740. From the 'Atlas Nouveau Portatif a l'Usage des Militaires, et du Voyageur'.

According to Elly Dekker James Manning was producing globes between 1854 and 1863. This particular one is dated 1857 and includes the new state of Victoria in Australia but was issued before the creation of Queensland. Manning published globes up to 12 inches in diameter principally for educational purposes. Dekker, Elly. (1999). 'Globes at Greenwich'.

In 1692 Johann Ulrich Müller (1633-1715) published a small geographical work entitled 'Geographia Totius Orbis Compendiaria'. It appears the maps were engraved by a member of the Bodenehr family. This example is from the virtually unrecorded smaller format edition without text on the page published by Gabriel Bodenehr entitled 'Atlas Minor sive Orbis Terrae'. No date is to be found on the title but c.1703 is presumed. The map depicts the northern hemisphere to a latitude of 50 degrees north. Refer to King (2003) pp. 25 & 160B1; refer Phillips (1909-) no. 512; refer Shirley (2004) T.Mull-1a.

Gregor Reisch (c.1470-1525) was an Abbot at the Carthusian Monastery in Freiburg and noted mathematician. He also studied Hebrew and geography and became Confessor to the Emperor Maximilian I. Whilst there he taught Martin Waldseemuller and Sebastian Munster. He was the author of one of the most popular books on moral and natural philosophy entitled the ‘Margarita Philosophica’ first published in Freiburg in 1503. Their ensued several editions published in Freiburg, Strasbourg and Basel. Shirley identifies four different woodcut maps which appeared in these. Most of them include a Ptolemaic world map. Two of the maps are modern and include America. The first of these offered here is listed in Shirley as being a Strasbourg edition of the work printed by J. Gruninger in 1513. The earliest reference I can find is in Nordenskiold’s ‘Facsimile Atlas’ of 1889. Bagrow and Skelton refer to the same edition for the map in ‘History of Cartography’ 1964. However, I have been unable to find a listing for this edition. ‘Of all the maps found in Reisch’s ‘Margarita’, the two ‘’modern’ ones of 1513 and 1515 are least likely to be present and are thus the scarcest of those cited’ (Shirley).The map is very rare and if dated to 1513 takes on some significance as it displays both North and South America in the same year as Waldseemuller’s great Ptolemaic atlas was published. It is a simplified version of Waldseemuller’s magnificent twelve sheet wall map of the world published in 1507 surviving in just the one example. It is updated with the latest geography from the modern portion of the Ptolemy. This is particularly notable from the depiction of Asia and the presence of North America. Residing now at the Library of Congress it is famous for being the earliest to record ‘America’.The map breaks down the areas of the world with simple straight lines. Larger areas are named, smaller ones are letter keyed to a typographic table below the map. North and South America are connected by a land bridge but the only name appearing is ‘paria seu prisilia’ referring to ‘Brasilia’. Provenance: private English collection for 40 years; Bagrow & Skelton (1964) p. 126; Nordenskiold (1889) Facsimile pp. 42, 70 & 92; Shirley (1993) no. 36 and 22; Shirley (2003) ‘An Unusual Find’, in IMCoS Journal 92 pp. 27-9; Tooley Dictionary.

A very attractive example from the most prestigious English world atlas of the seventeenth century by John Speed (1552-1629). This is Speed’s classic representation of the world surrounded by allegorical border depictions of the four elements. The alignments of the ‘Heavens and Elements’, ‘Figure of the Spheare’ and illustrations of a solar and lunar eclipse appear in the four corners. Two attractive hemispheres of the heavens are in the centre and the whole is finished off with roundel portraits of the first four circumnavigators.Speed is the most famous of all the English map-makers. His two most celebrated publications are ‘The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain’ covering the British Isles, first published in 1611[12] and the ‘Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World’, first published in 1627. Speed was a tailor by profession with a great interest in history and maps. He wanted to produce an English atlas of the same high standards and quality as those published on the continent. The ‘Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World’ was published in 1627, two years before the death of Speed. Ownership of the atlas passed through various hands until sometime after 1668 when Roger Rea sold the rights to Thomas Bassett and Richard Chiswell. Bassett was a specialist in legal books and Chiswell was the publisher for the Royal Society. The final 1676 edition of the ‘Prospect’ includes eight further maps on seven sheets appearing for the first and only time. Phillips (1909-) 488; Shirley (1984) 317; Shirley (2004) T.Spe 1j; Skelton (1970) 92; Wing (1945-51) S4886.