BLAEU, Johannes. [Set of World & Four Continents from the 'Atlas Major']
Nova et Accuratissima Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula; Americé nova Tabula; Asia noviter delineata; Africé nova descriptio; Europa recens descripta. Amsterdam, 1662. Original colour. Five plates, each c.410 x 540mm.
A fine set of five maps from the most expensive book published in the 17th century, an eleven-volume atlas containing 593 hand-coloured maps. For this edition Johannes Blaeu replaced the world map engraved by his father in 1606 and used in Blaeu atlases since 1630 with a new double hemisphere map, the only Blaeu atlas map to show California as an island. The highly decorative borders have two cartographers and allegorical figures of the known planets along the top and the Four Seasons underneath. Shirley writes that 'the engraving and layout and elegance of decoration are of the highest standard. The map is invariably printed on thick paper of quality and often superbly hand coloured.'. Each of the continents has lateral borders of native dress and nine city prospects along the top. KOEMAN: Bl 56; SHIRLEY: World 255; BURDEN: 189; WALTER: 25; NORWICH: 32; BORRI: 126.
[Ref: 10075]    £37,500.00 ($57,750 • €45,375 rates)

LA FEUILLE, Daniel de. [World & Continents]
Mapemonde Planisphere ou Carte Generale Du Monde.; L'Europe Selon Les Autheurs Les Plus Modernes.; L'Afrique Selon Les Autheurs Les Plus Modernes.; L'Amerique Septentrionale.; L'Amerique Meridionale.; L'Asie. Amsterdam, 1709. coloured. each approx; 160 x 220mm. Original binding folds flattened, good margins, good impressions on heavy paper.
A set consisting of a double hemisphere world and five continents, from 'Les Tablettes Guerrieres...', a military pocket atlas. A number of cartographical curiosities are present in these maps, California is shown as an island, Australia has unresolved coasts, New Zealand is denoted by an indefinite single coastline and the mythical "Terre de Jesso" is marked.
[Ref: 10866]    £1,400.00 ($2,156 • €1,694 rates)

HOMANN, Johann Baptist. [A beautiful 18th Century set of the world & continents]
[Set of World & 4 Continents.] Nuremberg, c.1740. Original colour with additions, some evidence of gold highlighting, Five plates, each c.500 x 570mm. Occasional minor restoration.
A highly decorative set of maps: the world is double-hemisphere world map with two smaller celestial spheres, as well as wind-heads and depictions of natural phenomena such as water-spouts, eruptions and rainbows; the other four each have a large and colourful title cartouche. On the maps California has rejoined the mainland; Ezo is depicted as a large landmass connected to Kamchatka not Japan; Tasmania is still far-removed from mainland Australia; and New Zealand is a partial coastline, far too large.
[Ref: 11174]    £9,000.00 ($13,860 • €10,890 rates)

MONATH, Peter Conrad. [Set of World & 4 Continents.] Nuremberg, 1758. Original colour with additions. Five plates, ea. c.260 x 290mm. Some restoration to margin of world map.
An uncommon set of maps, each with a decorative title cartouche. The world map has allegorical figures of the four continents, California as an island and a suggested North West Passage. McLAUGHLIN: California 238.
[Ref: 8481]    £3,000.00 ($4,620 • €3,630 rates)

JANVIER, Jean. [Set of World & 4 Continents.] Paris, Lattré, 1762. Coloured. 5 plates, ea. c. 305 x 450mm.
A double-hemisphere world map and four continents, each with a fully-coloured title cartouche.
[Ref: 8334]    £1,700.00 ($2,618 • €2,057 rates)

LEVASSEUR, Victor. [Very Decorative Set of The World & Continents]
[Set of World & 6 Continents.] Paris, A. Combette, c.1845. Original outline colour on the maps, the borders Coloured. Seven steel-engravings, ea. c.310 x 410mm. Fine condition.
A fine set, each map with original outline colour, within a highly decorative engraved border, with vignettes of costumes and animals. Published in one of the last decorative atlases, the 'Atlas Universel Illustré', which, unlike earlier sets, has grouped the East Indies, Australasia and the Pacific on one plate, 'Océanie'. On the map of the Americas Texas is a republic: the population table gives it a population of only 200,000.
[Ref: 10509]    £1,600.00 ($2,464 • €1,936 rates)

LEVASSEUR, Victor. [Very Decorative Set of The World & Continents]
[Set of World & 6 Continents.] Paris, Pelissier, c.1845. Original body colour on the maps, the borders Coloured. Altogether seven steel-engravings, each. c.310 x 410mm. Very good condition.
A fine set, each map with original body colour, within a highly decorative engraved border, with vignettes of costumes and animals. Published in one of the last decorative atlases, the 'Atlas Universel Illustré', which, unlike earlier sets, has grouped the East Indies, Australasia and the Pacific on one plate, 'Océanie'. On the map of the Americas Texas is a republic: the population table gives it a population of only 200,000.
[Ref: 10510]    £1,600.00 ($2,464 • €1,936 rates)

VUILLEMIN, Alexandre A. [Set of World and Continents]
Planisphère Elementaire et Illustré... Paris, Fatout, 1865-6. Original colour. Seven plates, each c. 640 x 850mm. A few small signs of wear.
A fine set of seven large maps, with the world on Mercator's Projection (British Empire in red), and six continents (including South America and Oceania). Each map is decorated with informative vignettes.
[Ref: 9507]    £2,600.00 ($4,004 • €3,146 rates)

Anonymous. [Medieval Woodblock World Map]
[Untitled cicular world map from a woodblock of 1491.] From "La Mer des Hystoires", Paris, Nicolas Couteau, 1543. Woodblock, 2 sheets joined. 300 mm diameter Very strong and even impression. A lovely example.
This is the 1491 Lyons block of the world map, published in " La Mer des Hystoires" Chronicle in Paris, in 1543. Shirley mentions that examples of the Lyons block appeared in later Paris editions of the Mer des Hystoires. The encyclopedic world history based on medieval theology, "Rudimentum Novitiorum", became better known through French translations under the title "La Mer des Hystoires". This famous publication contained the first detailed printed maps ever produced . Two separate blocks of the world map were made for French issues of the Mer de Hystoires, the first in Paris in 1488 and the second in Lyons in 1491. "Whereas the earlier La Mer des Hystoires map of 1488 remained close to the Rudimentum Novitiorum prototype, this second (and reduced) derivation of 1491 betrays the work of a thinking individual" ---- Campbell. A number of mistakes have been corrected, and the text is much clearer than in the previous editions. Shirley, The Mapping of the World, item 17
[Ref: 10204]    £16,500.00 ($25,410 • €19,965 rates)

SCHEDEL, D. Hartmann. [The World as known to Columbus]
[World.] Nuremberg, Anton Kolberger, 1493, Latin text edition. Woodcut, printed area 370 x 520mm.
The famous world map from the 'Nuremberg Chronicle'. Published a matter of months after Columbus' return to Spain after his first voyage to the New World, it includes nothing of his discoveries. Instead it takes a retrospective view, depicting the three sons of Noah in the borders, includes the mythical island of Taprobana and has seven vignettes of mythological creatures, taken from the works of Herodotus, Solinus and Pliny, down the left side. These include figures with six arms, four eyes or a bird-neck, and a centaur. A further 14 are on verso, with text describing which parts of the world they inhabit. SHIRLEY: 19.
[Ref: 9077]    £13,500.00 ($20,790 • €16,335 rates)