James W. Roy
A veteran of the antique map trade, drawn to maps by way of fantasy literature and a background in Medieval history.
James is drawn to maps from moments when new knowledge reached a wide audience for the first time — when a place known to only a few suddenly entered the wider world's picture of geography. Much of 16th-century Europe fits this mold, especially the work of Sebastian Münster, Giacomo Gastaldi, and later Abraham Ortelius and Gerard Mercator.
He's also drawn to maps that mark a turning point, for better or worse — including ones that introduced errors other cartographers kept copying for decades. A favorite example: Girolamo Ruscelli's 1561 map, which borrowed Nicolo Zeno's invented lands of Frisland, Drogeo, and Estotiland as if they were real.
Monthly Digest of James' Picks
'Visually, it is one of the most attractive Ptolemaic world maps produced' - Rodney Shirley
Generale Ptholemei.
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This is Martin Waldseemüller's 1513 rendition of the Ptolemaic map of the world: 'Visually, it is one of the most attractive Ptolemaic world maps produced' (Shirley) and one of the earliest acquirable woodcut maps of the ancient world. It appeared in Waldseemüller and Ringmann's 1513 Geographie Opus Novissima, the most comprehensively edited and amended edition of Claudius Ptolemy's 2nd-century geography. Moreover, this map was the largest-format edition of Ptolemy's map produced to date. (more details)
Original color issue of one of the most influential maps of the 16th century.
Typus Orbis Terrarum.
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A superb old-color example of Abraham Ortelius' iconic 1570 map of the world, here in its 1579 edition. Of fundamental importance, this is the first world map to appear in an atlas and one of the most influential of the 16th century. (more details)
Earliest Accurate Printed Plan and Chart of Havana.
De Stad en Haven van Havana, op't Eÿland Cuba, met alle desselfs Droogtens en Dieptens...
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This is a rare, beautifully engraved map and plan of Havana and its bay by the Dutch chart maker Johannes van Keulen. Its dating is not well understood, but it can be placed c. 1720 on contextual grounds. It is the earliest printed, accurate charting of Havana Bay and the earliest accurate depiction of Old Havana. The chart reflects a profound shift in Dutch-Spanish relations, documenting the emergence of robust commercial cooperation following the War of Spanish Succession (1701 - 1714) after more than 150 years of political and military hostility. (more details)
State-of-the-art charting of the Plata at the outbreak of war.
Carte du Rio de la Plata (Amérique Méridionale) Dressée d'aprés les documents les plus récens et les travaux faits à bord du Bisson (en 1857-58 et 59) Par Mr. E. Mouchez, Capitaine de Frégate Publiée par ordre de L'Empereur, Sous le Ministère de Son Excellence Mr. le Cte. de Chasseloup-Laurat...
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This is a large French nautical chart of the Rio de la Plata charted by French naval officer, hydrographer, and spy Ernest Amédée Barthélemy Mouchez (1821 - 1892). This state-of-the-art chart was issued in 1862, and would be regularly updated in the following decade, a period characterized by local political turmoil and international efforts to control it. (more details)
The Middle East by an Anarchical anti-authoritarian internationalist.
L'Asie antérieure : d'après le texte de la Nouvelle Géographie Universelle et d'autres documents récent.
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This beautifully detailed 1883 map of the Middle East is the work of geographer, anarchist, free union advocate, and nudist Jacques Élisée Reclus, produced in conjunction with fellow anarchist Charles Eugène Perron as part of Reclus's nineteen-volume Nouvelle Géographie Universelle. Reclus' maps were widely admired for their scientific precision and detail; his atlas was notable for its reflection and support of anti-authoritarian internationalism. (more details)
Earliest Collectible Printed Image of Belgrade.
Kriechisch Wyssenburg.
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This is the 1550 Sebastian Münster woodcut view of Belgrade - the earliest obtainable printed image of that city. (more details)