Category — Historic Maps

As mentioned in an earlier post, an early map of Canada by Samuel de Champlain, described by Sotheby’s Books and Manuscripts Catherine Slowther as “The driving force behind the initial success of French attempts at gaining a foothold in America,” was slated for the auction block this past November 13.

Champlain’s 1612 map of Eastern Canada fetched an incredible $286,570 CDN, three times its estimated price.

The map was drawn from Champlain’s personal observations, accumulated from more than twenty voyages to Canada and New England.

Sotheby’s auction house in London said the work sold to a private collector, but did not give the home country of the new owner.

Read the full story on Champlain’s 1612 Map of Canada at CBC and the Toronto Star.

[tags]antique map auction, samuel de champlain, map of new france, map of canada, historic maps[/tags]

An exhibition of historical and fictional works related to pirates and piracy will be on view at Boston College’s Burns Library of Rare Books and Special Collections through November.

“Pirate Treasures” will include rare maps and books published between 1695 and 2007, many of them on public display for the first time. The exhibit consists primarily of maps and books from the Nicholas M. Williams Ethnological Collection. Assembled by anthropologist Rev. Joseph J. Williams, SJ, (1875-1940) and named for his father, the collection consists of more than 16,000 books and manuscripts reflecting his interest in the history, customs, beliefs and folklore of the people of the Caribbean. Piracy is the primary subject of nearly 100 books in the Williams Collection.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Hours: Monday through Friday from 9 am..-5 p.m. (except holidays ) or by appointment. Venue is handicapped accessible.

Source: Wickedlocal.com

[tags]pirates, antique maps, Caribbean[/tags]

A 1612 map of Canada (then “New France”) by Samuel de Champlain is to be auctioned by Southeby’s in England next month. The map is billed by Sotheby’s as “perhaps the most important single map” in Canadian history. Harvard University experts have determined that the particular copy of the rare antique map is not the copy discovered to be missing from Harvard’s rare-book library in 2005, presumed stolen by E. Forbes Smiley. There was some concern by Harvard that the map in question may have been the stolen copy owned by Harvard.

The antique map of Canada by Samuel de Champlain is expected to fetch $80,000 for its undisclosed owner.

Related news items:

• Sotheby’s London Will Sell Perhaps The Most Important Single Map In The History Of Canada
• Harvard eyes 1612 Canada map in auction
• Rare map of Canada under scrutiny after Harvard thefts
• Champlain map cleared for auction
• Champlain map ready for auction 

[tags]antique maps, samuel de champlain, new france, antique map auctions, antique map of canada, E. Forbes Smiley[/tags]

The University of Nevada Reno has added more important works to their online historic Nevada geologic and mining maps collection.

The additions include:

the full volume of Geological  History of Lake Lahontan,  a Quaternary lake of northwestern Nevada.  1885, Israel  Cook Russell.  USGS Monograph XI;

the complete Atlas accompanying the US Geological Exploration Survey of the Fortieth Parallel, 1876. Clarence King, and

Plate  XIV Geological map of the Steamboat Springs District. In Atlas to accompany a monograph on the geology of the Quicksilver deposits of the Pacific slope.  George F. Becker.  US Geological Survey Monograph XIII, Washington, 1887.

The original focus of the Nevada in Maps web site was to catalog and preserve historic maps of Nevada presenting topographic, geologic, and mining themes found at UNLV and UNR. There are now over 4,000 maps and atlases on this site with many more to be added.

Via: Maps-L

A century old map by Canadian Arctic explorer Joseph-Elzear Bernier was recently rediscovered by Quebec archivists. Bernier has often been credited with ensuring Canada’s control over its polar regions. The historic map was unveiled today by PM Harper under the premiss that the map will aid Canada’s case against recent disputes over Canada’s sovereignty over its northern-most regions.

Born in 1852, Bernier was raised to pilot ships and emerged in the early 1900s as the Canadian government’s top flag-bearer in the Arctic region. At the time, the country’s hold on the Arctic islands – deeded to Canada by the British government in the 1880s – was still considered tenuous because U.S. and Scandinavian explorers were more active in the region and several major islands remained disputed.

I don’t know how serious threats are these days regarding Canada’s control over its northern regions, (perhaps this has something to do with it,) but no doubt the publicity will help Bernier historian Jeanne Coude in his quest for a Bernier memorial. Nobody has ever been able to say that maps are not political.

Read the full news item here. Another photo of the unveiling may be seen here.

[tags]Joseph-Elzear Bernier, arctic exploration, antique maps, famous cartographers, bernier arctic map[/tags]

For the last 55 years, lawyer and historian Albert Ganado collected many impressive antique maps of Malta. Gando recently handed over his collection to Heritage Malta and the Maltese government.

Dr. Gando’s collection consists of 19 manuscript maps and 431 printed maps of between 1507 and 1899, making it the largest and most complete collection of antique maps of Malta in the world.

Dr Ganado himself is a specialist in the cartography of Malta and has come to be considered as a world authority on maps and prints of Malta. He has written widely about the subject. Although the collection including books, academic material and other documents was estimated at e1,864,000, this value is said to be simply relative and will increase by time.

Full coverage of the acquisition can be read in the Independent, the Times of Malta.

Update August 20, 2008: More coverage at Yell Malta.

Antique maps provide a unique glimpse into the history of Malta, including its “Great Seige”, as mentioned in this previous post, as well as in this previous post.

[tags]antique malta maps, malta, ganado map collection, map collections, antique maps[/tags]