(History of Cartography - Portolan Charts) The Nautical Chart of 1424 and the Early Discovery and Cartographical Representation of America. A Study on the History of Early Navigation and Cartography

Portugal: University of Coimbra, 1954. Signed by Author This is in an unusual format, with the original soft covers (not the later leather binding), as issued, with book interior in excellent shape. The dedication page to Philip Ramsay Robinson is present. Neat, pencilled owners signature on front end-paper. The stiff paper boards with title and crest are a bit browned, with the edges slightly chipped. SIGNED BY AUTHOR; limited edition #324; publishers gift copy with small library stamp of Catholic University of America on title page (no other library markings). Binding sound. Introduction and discussion in English by this major cartographic historian. There are reproductions of several early portolan charts, plus the exhaustive 110 pp text and the seprate bibliography and index (pp 113-123; uncut in this section). This chart was apparently first catalogued and discussed in detail here, and had been found with the breakup of the collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps ("Biblioteca Phillippica" per Cortesao's description). Apparently a large portion of this collection passed into the hands of Messrs. William R. Robinson in London in 1946, apprarently the largest single collection purchase of record, by a bookseller, to that date. This book we offer is quite scarce, and would be a wonderful addition to the library of anyone with a serious interest in cartography. The history described is not confined to the 1424 chart, and includes discussions of later nautical portolans. . Signed by Author. Limited/Numbered.