English Topography : or, a Series of Historical and Statistical Descriptions of the Several Counties of England and Wales by NIGHTINGALE, Joseph - 1816

Braun & Hogenberg, 1598. Near fine, early color, latin edition (applicable text verso). Very decorative town plan of Toledo, Spain from this edition of the famous city atlas. Cherubim, palace, temple all present as separate images. These plans are well-known to collectors, and this particular item is increasingly uncommon. The full atlas was published in 6 volumes, in various editions, from 1572-1617. It was a collaborative work between many artists, engravers and cartographers (for a nice discussion of the history of this atlas, see Goss's THE MAPMAKERS ART, pp. 260-5). The map image measures 12.75x20 inches..

London: William Mount & Thomas Page, 1734. Copper-engraved sea chart, in excellent condition, apart from an expertly repaired centre fold, and mild creases where the map folded. A very fine sea chart of China's Zhejiang Province, from the celebrated Third Book of 'The English Pilot.' This elegant and large sea chart captures China's modern day Zhejiang province. Located on the East China sea, just below the Yangtze Delta, this region was of major interest to European traders during the eighteenth-century. It features the major port of Zhousan (Chusan), and was the location of the entrance of the Grand Canal of China. The canal, construction of which began in the 5th-century B.C., was then the oldest and longest man-made waterway in the world, which allowed barges to travel hundreds to Beijing. In 1671, the London cartographer John Seller (fl.1664-97) commenced work on The English Pilot, a work that intended to challenge Dutch hegemony in the sea atlas market. Intended to be published in four books… Read More

Borough of Hopatcong, New Jersey?, 1912. Near Fine condition. SEE PHOTO. This is a beautiful and very scarce color map of Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey. When unfolded it measures 18" tall by 38" wide. Some folds have been neatly reinforced on the blank side with archival-quality document repair tape. Buildings are represented by red squares, water in green. Some of the properties and locations depicted are: Port Morris, Landing, Roxbury Township, Borough of Mount Arlington, Byram Township, Nolans Point, Atlas Powder Co., Brookland, Borough of Hopatcong, Byram Cove, Henderson Bay, Byram Bay, Maxim Park, Jefferson Township, Woodport, Hurdtown, Hurd Mining Co., W. M. Force Estate, John P. Lawless, Mary Ingram estate, Aaron Peck estate, Raccoon Island, Halsey Island, Bertrand Island, Theodore King, Gertrude Otten, Violet Littell, Robert Dunlap estate, etc. Full title: "Property Map of Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, Prepared by Hudson Maxim for the Morris Canal Investigation Commission,… Read More

Greece: Augsburg, Lotter Conrad Tobias 1772. Copper engraved map of Crete with View of Iraklion after Seutter from Lotters "Atlas Novus." . Original old colour; verso blank The map shows the island of Crete, taken from the Homann map of 1712 [ Zacharakis 1641/1879] with the a long text beside the newly emerged island at Santorini following the volcanic eruption of 25th May 1707: "In 1707, activity began again, the small when two cones appeared. They were called Aspronisi and Macronesi. Those were united in the course of the following five years by an island which formed between Palea and Small Kameni, much larger and higher then either and was called Nea (New) Kameni .This island, is the youngest island in Greece."[Santorini Living ] Below is a panaromic view of Iraklion, black & white as issued. The map was first published by Lotter's father-in-law Matthaüs Seutter in his "Atlas Novus" in 1728 who took the lower part of Homann's map re-engraved the cartouche and text and added the scale to the… Read More

Shūseidō 衆星堂. [Reprint].. Tenpō 14 (1843).. Large folding handcoloured map of the thirteen provinces from which Mt. Fuji can be viewed. 159 x 178cm. Folds into paper covered card covers measuring 40 x 24cm. Title label upper cover. A little browning along folds, occasional spotting and soiling. A little worming causing approximately 1cm of loss in places. Two chops in lower section. A very striking and attractive map. This very large handsome map is a detailed map of the thirteen provinces from which one can see Mt. Fuji. Provinces shown are the eight provinces of the Kantō region, Sagami 相模, Musashi 武蔵, Kazusa 上総, Shimofusa 下総, Awa 安房, Kōzuke 上野, Shimotsuke 下野, and Hitachi, 常陸, and five other provinces, Izu 伊豆, Suruga 駿河, Tōtōmi 遠江, Kai 甲斐, and Shinano 信濃. The map… Read More

Nuremburg: J. B. Homann, 1730. Hand-coloured engraving. Good condition, margins re-backed to restore several minor losses and tears. A dramatic star chart by Doppelmayr illustrating the autumnal and early winter zodiacal signs: part of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and part of Capricorn. Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr (1677-1750) was a Nuremberg astronomer and mapmaker, who made globes, star charts, moon charts and completed Homann's Atlas Coelestis in 1742. This is part V of a group of six showing the entire panorama of the night sky as known and represented in the early 18th century. The stars are differentiated according to magnitude, and there is an extensive star index on each side of the chart. Johann Batiste Homann (1663-1724) began his professional life as an engraver for others, founding his own cartographical firm in 1702. He brought back to life German mapmaking, which virtually ceased in the early 16th century, using Dutch cartography as his guide and starting point.

Engraved map, 35.6 x 28 cm (11" x 14"), uncolored. Faint soiling, repair of centerfold with archival tape; near fine with crisp impression. Mathhaus Merian (1593-1650) was a well known engraver that would run a publishing house in Frankfurt. This very attractive map of the Americas is based on maps by Blaeu and Hondius (see Tooley & Goss). Part of the charm of this map is the somewhat primitive arrangement of the subject. North America is shown with a prominent Virginia, but with an odd New England coastline. Florida is basically a stub, and the western coastline above California makes the continent look too wide. The Great Lakes have little presence, but the map does feature a large island lake in equatorial South America. The map also includes an inset of Greenland, and you can actually see part of Europe. A rather plan title cartouche, a sea monster and Spanish Galleons decorate the map. Merian's engraved signature can be seen in the lower right. Tooley: The Mapping of America (p.299). Goss:… Read More

Greece: Cologne G von Kempen 1588. Copper engraved view of Chios from the fourth volume of Braun & Hogenberg's "Civitas Orbis Terrarum. " Latin text to verso; black & white as issued. The engraving shows the port and capital of Chios, seen from the east in a bird's-eye view. The town is represented as divided into the strongly fortified Byzantine Kastro and the town itself, which is defended on the landward side by massive watchtowers with a moat and a drawbridge. Windmills line the coast; A canon fire s out to sea from a tower on the sea wall; numerous ships and galleys. Decorative title cartouche The city is often locally referred to as "Chora" (Χώρα; literally meaning "town") or "Kastro" (Κάστρο) to distinguish it from the entirety of the island with which it shares the name. Originally the site of an ancient settlement, the town was first built at the north side of a natural harbour. By the 16th century, the walled town had been further fortified by successive rulers into a massive… Read More

London, W.Bulmer and Co., 1799
4º. xxviii,(2),372 pp., xcii. Bound to style in a fine later calf. Title-and tomelabels with gilt lettering. Blindtoolings to bands and compartments of spine. Engraved portrait as frontispiece, 2 engraved plates with music, 5 engraved plates (of which 3 are views) and 3 large folded engraved maps. One map strenghtened in foldings and edges, one map with a closed tear to folding. Wide-margined, a few margins slightly brownspotted. Light offsetting to title and portrait.
Second edition - the same year as the first - of this classic work of travel litterature.
"Until the publicationof Park's book in 1799 hardly anything was known of the interior of Africa, apart from the north-east region and coastal areas....the real opening up of Africa by the white races began with the African Association, founded in 1788 with the express purpose of exploring Africa and furthering British tradee and political influence onthe continent...Parks travels had an immediate success and was… Read More

Quarter morocco over pictorial maroon cloth board with gilt particulars to spine. Top edge gilt. Limited edition copy No. 91 of 380 issued, this being the English Toned Paper edition. Hors textes plates with tissue guards throughout. Black and white illustrations throughout text as well. Title continued: "to which are added a chronology of one hundred voyages westward, projected, attempted, or accomplished between 1431 and 1504; biographical accounts of the three hundred pilots who first crossed the Atlantic; and a copious list of the original names of American regions, caciqueships, mountains, islands, capes, gulfs, rivers, towns, and harbours." Topics include: John Cabot, Gaspar Corte-Real, Christopher Columbus, Ancient Maps, First Knowledge of Florida, Colonisation [colonization] of Nova Scotia, Aliminos, Pardon Real, Lusitano-Germanic Cartography, and much more. Wear to head of spine and hinges, but still intact and sturdy. 802 pp. 9 3/4 x 11 3/4. A clean, bright volume without previous owners'… Read More