Strong example, with a bold strike of the second state of the earliest collectible map of the Western Hemisphere. It is also the earliest to refer to the Pacific Ocean (along with Munster's world map) by a variant of its present name, here Mare... More
Very scarce—one edition only. The earliest collectible map of the eastern seaboard and the earliest to provide a representation of the New York City area. It is also the first map listed in Palmer's "Chronological List of Maps & Charts [of Bermuda]" and is thus earliest obtainable map with Bermuda (here... More
The rare first issue in a fine example of this well-detailed bird’s-eye view of the center of Incan civilization, which is today designated as the historic capital of Peru. Published just 22 years after the Spanish conquest of the city led by Pizarro, the woodcut is one of the few... More
The rare first state of an important and in some ways groundbreaking map. The woodblock for this map was destroyed shortly after its publication in a fire in November of 1557, hence its rarity. The map was compiled by the great Venetian cartographer, Giacomo Gastaldi, and appeared in a three-volume... More
Excellent example of the earliest separate map of the entire Western Hemisphere. This was also the earliest map to refer to the Pacific Ocean (along with Munster's world map) by a variant of its present name, Mare pacificum. It was one of earliest acquirable maps to show Japan prominently, which... More
Separately published. These are among the earliest separate maps of the respective islands. This single sheet with the two maps appeared in a very rare, assembled-to-order, Italian atlas; such atlases are known under the generic name of La Freri, after the Roman publisher and bookseller, who compiled many of them... More
The "first map of the Americas to appear in a modern atlas," (Schwartz) which “had a great influence on the future cartography of the New World” (Burden). When this map was published, the coastal areas of the North America had been fairly well explored, but settlement and colonization by Europeans... More
Richly colored views of the centers of both Aztec and Incan cultures, as seen at the time of their conquest by the Spanish. These are among the earliest printed depictions of New World cities and are the only American city views that appeared in Braun & Hogenberg’s Civitates Orbis Terrarum... More
A very fine example of the first edition of this foundational map. "One of the half-dozen most important mother-maps of southeastern North America. This map probably had more influence than any other map in establishing the subsequent conception of Florida as including that part of the present United States from... More
A beautiful example of a world map that appeared only in the second and final edition of Gerard and Cornelis De Jode’s Speculum Orbis Terrarum. It was engraved by the younger De Jode, Cornelis, in 1589 yet was not published in atlas form until 1593 after the elder De Jode’s... More
One of the engraving masterworks of early cartography, this is arguably the most beautiful early map of the Caribbean – here with superb color heightened with gold. The map’s engraver, Theodore De Bry, was trained as a goldsmith, and the intricacy inherent in this craft can be seen in this... More
The first separate map of the Pacific in a strong example. “One of the most important maps that appeared in the Ortelius atlases ...” (Burden). With its two splendid cartouches and a well-detailed illustration of Magellan’s flagship, the Victoria, this is also one of the most beautifully engraved of Ortelius’... More
Arguably the most beautiful early map of South America (and part of North America) in a richly colored example. It displays the area at the approximate high water mark of the Spanish Empire in the New World. It was the only map of the Americas in Linschoten’s Itinerarium, the work... More
"In many respects this map is the first printed map of Alaska." (Verner) However, much of what is shown here is imaginary, since most of the area covered by the map had not yet been seen by Europeans. The map does extend to northern California, so in its southern portions... More
A very early and revealing map of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions at the time of initial colonization. "A superbly executed engraving, [the map] depicts the northeastern American coastline as it was perceived by European geographers one hundred years after the discovery of the New World. [It] marks the approximate... More
First state of this rare, important and boldly decorative chart that embodies one of the first major successes in the Dutch effort to discover a Northeast Passage. It accurately reveals, for the first time, a key passage along the northern Russian coast. The chart was drawn by Jan Huygen van... More
One of the foundational works in the cartography of the United States, Smith’s was the first map of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding region. Not only was its influence present in countless succeeding maps, but it also had a considerable impact on history itself. “One of the most important printed... More
One of the most visually distinctive early maps of the Western Hemisphere, based on the work of "the greatest name in geographical science after Ptolemy" (Tooley). Its format is both unusual and elegant: the map is set within a circle surrounded by a design of interlocking acanthus leaves and cornucopias... More
"The foundation map of New England cartography, the one that gave it its name and the first devoted to the region." (Burden 187) This very scarce Hulsius edition was published the year following the original English edition. It is a virtually exact re-engraving of the very rare first state of... More
Very rare view of the Yucatan city that along with Havana and Cartagena were the three most important ports during the Spanish colonial era. Gold and silver mined in Mexico came to be loaded on to Spanish treasure ships at Campeche. For this and other reasons, throughout its history, the... More
A fine example of a “map of great importance” (Burden). It was first and only cartographic document reflecting an early plan for the colonization of New England. The map "locates twenty patentees among whom the region extending from Cape Cod to Maine was divided... More
The now seldomly seen first state of an important, early Dutch map of North America. It one of the first Dutch atlas maps to show California as an island, preceded in this regard by only the Hondius world map of 1633. A note on the map recounting the story of... More
An attractive example with period hand color of this classic Dutch map of Bermuda. As were most 17th century maps of Bermuda, Hondius’ was based on Richard Norwood’s 1618 chart, executed in behalf of the Bermuda Company. The map thus includes the parishes and tribes allotted to the company’s principal... More
A map that combines elegant design with historical importance, it depicts the area from the lower Chesapeake Bay, down through North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the entire coastlines of South Carolina and Georgia, along through to northern Florida. The map reflects the growth of the English colony beyond the Jamestown settlement... More
A map that combines great beauty with historical importance: “the most correct map of this area yet to appear.” (Cumming) The map updates and improves Mercator & Hondius’ Virginia Item et Floridae, a map forty years older focusing on the same region. While some features are retained – notably a.... More