Rare and striking example, in vibrant original color, of one of the earliest printed maps to name Armenia and to focus on the Caucasus and Georgia regions. The map was prepared by Dominus Nicolaus Germanus, a Benedictine monk from Saxony. He was also the author of several manuscript copies of... More
A beautiful example, in bold, rare original color, of the ancient map of the Arabian Peninsula from the most important edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia of the 16th century. It is among the earliest acquirable maps to focus on the region, and it is among the most beautiful of any Waldseemuller..... More
A very early issue from a 1570 edition. Three maps on a single sheet each showing important parts of the classical world--Asia Minor (western Turkey), Egypt, and Carthage (Tunis)--but here depicted with then up-to-date cartography. More
Fascinating engraving containing two aerial views of the city, one as it was at the beginning of the first century BCE, and the other a contemporaneous view. Each is accompanied by legends listing important structures and places that are keyed to the plans. In the lower right is a vignette... More
One of the most distinctive, early cartographic curiosities: a woodcut, cloverleaf-shaped map of the world with Jerusalem at the center. The map echoes the style of medieval mappae mundi, with Jerusalem at its center and with each of the leaves of the trefoil representing the continents of Asia, Africa and..... 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
An excellent example in an original binding of the work that set the standard for the small atlas. “The small maps are extremely well engraved; they are neat and clear and elegantly composed” (Van der Krogt, p. 373). A measure of their quality is that the maps “served many purposes..... More
A beautifully engraved and magnificently colored map of Asia Minor and Cyprus, from one of the most illustrious publishers of the Dutch Golden Age of Mapmaking. It includes most of the Greek Islands and a well-detailed depiction of Cyprus. A pasha at lower right holds a mileage scale; two turbaned... More
An exceptionally fresh example, in brilliant original color, of the earliest separate map of the area that now includes Hong Kong. Macau, Guangzhou (Canton), and several other place names appear in the Zhu (Pearl) River delta, and Hainan Island to the southwest is quite well detailed. Finely engraved Oriental figures..... More
An atlas of wall maps in an Italian binding of uncommon elegance created for Prince Giambattista Borghese, whose armorial bookplate is on the inside of the front cover. Giambattista Borghese (1639-1717), of the powerful Sienese/ Roman family, was a notable patron of the arts. He purchased the family home that..... More
Superb original-color example of the first edition of one of the most beautiful 17th-century charts of the area. Schilder described the maps of the De Wit firm as being "distinguished by their excellent craftsmanship, exactness and beauty." Romeyn de Hooghe’s intricately etched cartouche shows a European trader accompanied by a...... More
This was the best, generally available map of its day of Southeast Asia. Dashed lines show the routes of trading vessels throughout the area, including the route that passed through present day Singapore. The much contended Spice Islands are shown in good detail as is the Philippines. The northern coast... More
A distinctively decorated map of the Holy Land in a beautiful example. The map's exclusively Old Testament imagery in the cartouche includes the figures of Moses and Solomon. Abraham is also shown in the process of sacrificing Isaac, interrupted by an angel helpfully pointing out a ram hiding behind the... More
A super, dark-impressioned example with full, period wash coloring of an important map that impressively combined both European and Japanese sources. It was, in fact, one of the first European maps to both make use of Japanese sources and include Japanese characters. The engraving’s rich imagery mingles indigenous Japanese scenes..... More
A beautiful examples of one of the finest nautical charts of the Indian Coast in the region including the ports of Surat, Mumbai and Goa. It was produced at the beginning of the long conflict between the British and the Maratha Confederacy over control of western India. The chart includes..... More
Likely the earliest Western chart of what is now Hainan’s premier resort area—Yalong Bay--boasting the island’s finest beaches. The attractively engraved English chart, which appeared in the East India Pilot, provides a good visual representation of the shoreline, including a village, in addition to the expected navigational detail. Hainan, styled..... More
Attractive 18th century map of Japan. Zatta based his work on that of Bellin, whose 1736 map proved to be one of the most influential European depictions of Japan unitl the 19th Century. More
Arrowsmith's large, folding map of Asia was the most accurate of the continent available at the time. It bears all the hallmarks that made his maps models of clarity and accessibility. "It is a significant advance on other maps of the period, incorporating the work of surveyors like James Rennell..... More
Very rare. A superb example one of the finest views of Constantinople we have handled. The great city, seen here from the east, overlooking Üsküdar and the Bosphorus, appears as it was during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II. The Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia, and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque..... More
A rare, clearly printed, political map of this volatile region, described as "entirely new" in the advertisement included here. Although the map is not dated, the Royal Geographic Society reported its acquisition of an example in July of 1914 (see below). Since the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on June..... More
An apparently unrecorded, separately-issued map of Iraq, Kuwait and southwestern Iran, published towards the end of World War I in Constantinople by the important Croatian-Turkish cartographer, Jacques Jacques Pervititch (Jakub Pervitić) (1877-1945). Entirely in French text, the map is beautifully colored and designed, and although its printing is technically a...... More
A very attractive, scarce plan of Tehran, in both English and Farsi, with over 130 buildings and locations listed and keyed to the map. Vignettes of the city's notable monuments run along the top margin. The plan was based on a hand drawing by Addas Sahab, the most important mapmaker..... More
An attractive example of the Malay Peninsula map from Munster’s 1552 Ptolemy. The map shows “India beyond the Ganges,” then a near-mythical region reputed to be a source of gold. Beyond the peninsula lies a huge bay – the Sinus Magnus – which was the supposed body of water bounded..... More
An attractive woodcut map of India as it was understood in the Roman era. This map covering the lands between the Indus river and the Ganges was printed in Sebastian Munster’s modernized edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia. Consequently, this map shows the placenames of this region that would have been in..... More
A rare, beautifully colored map of southern Iraq of the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, focusing on Basra, shown in a small bird-s-eye view at lower right. Fifty-six place names on the map are in Arabic. It is among the few printed maps, this early, that we've seen..... More