AMERICAE DESCRIP.

£585

Rare early map of America from an early edition of the Mercator-Hondius Map of America, first published in Amsterdam in 1607.

Intersting feature of the map is the Northwest Coast of America, which pre-dates Hondius's revision of the map to include a more definitive Northwest Passage near Quivira. A narrow Strait of Anian. No Great Lakes are shown. Usual projections for California and Florida. Large Terra Australis Incognita still appears, connected to New Guinea. Early treatment of Nova Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Massive Terra Australis dominates the Southern Hemisphere.

An important early map of the Western Hemisphere.

Lots of decoration with; Sea Monsters and sailing ships.

Excellent hand colour

Very good condiotion

References: Van der Krogt 3 - 9000:351; Burden - #1543

Publication Atlas Minor Gerardi Mercatoris Amsterdam, J. Hondius, 1607. (Van der Krogt 3, 351:01)

code : M4694

Cartographer : GERARD MERCATOR

Date : 1608 Amsterdam

Size : 15.5*20 cms

availability : Available

Price : £585

share :

Gerard MERCATOR

Originally a student of philosophy Gerard Mercator (1512-1594). He became an expert in land surveying and cartography, as well as a skilled engraver.His first maps were published in 1537 (Palestine), and 1538 (a map of the world), although his main occupation at this time was globe-making. He later moved to Duisburg, in Germany, where he produced his outstanding wall maps of Europe and of Britain. In 1569 he published his masterpiece, the twenty-one-sheet map of the world, constructed on what is now known as Mercator's projection.

It was during this period, while teaching cosmography at Duisburg, that Mercator realised the pressing need for a modern collection of maps to supersede the Ptolemaic atlases. This project was gradually expanded to be a complete description of the Universe, both heaven and earth, with other volumes on the Creation, Genealogy and History and a Chronology. The description of the earth was to be in two parts, a modern geography and a Ptolemaic atlas, a massive and over-ambitious project. In fact, only the Chronology and the Ptolemaic Geographia were completed in his lifetime, and it was left to his son, Rumold, to complete and publish the world atlas in 1595. Entitled Atlas, sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi, this was the first time the name "Atlas" was applied to a bound collection of maps, and, like Mercator's projection, has remained in everyday use to this day.

After Rumold's death in 1599, the plates for the atlas were published by Gerard Jr. Following his death in 1604, the printing stock was bought at auction by Jodocus Hondius, and re-issued well into the seventeenth century.

The Atlas Minor was reprinted,reengraved by many 16th century Dutch cartographers including Cloppenberg, Jansson etc.