About Geographicus
Founded in New York City in 1999 by Kevin James Brown, Geographicus Rare Antique Maps is one of the world's leading dealers in original antique maps, atlases, globes, and historical prints. Our gallery offers more than 20,000 original works spanning the 15th through the 20th centuries, representing every region of the world and every major cartographic tradition. From accessible collector pieces to museum-quality rarities, Geographicus serves private collectors, institutions, libraries, museums, and interior designers.
Our reputation is built upon scholarship, integrity, and an enduring passion for cartographic history. Every item we offer is accompanied by meticulously researched cataloging, among the most comprehensive available anywhere, providing historical context, bibliographic references, publication history, and market insight. We believe that informed collecting begins with authoritative research, and we strive to make every map we sell an opportunity for discovery.
Whether assisting a first-time buyer in selecting a single map, helping a seasoned collector build a world-class collection, advising an institution, or conducting a professional appraisal, we are committed to providing thoughtful, personalized service grounded in decades of experience. Long-term relationships built on honesty, expertise, and trust remain the foundation of our business.
Geographicus is a proud member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the Philip Lee Phillips Society, the New York Map Society, the Washington Map Society, the International Map Collectors' Society (IMCoS), and the Society for the History of Discoveries. While Geographicus serves clients worldwide through its online gallery, we are pleased to welcome visitors to our Brooklyn, New York, gallery by private appointment.
Beyond buying and selling rare maps, Geographicus offers professional appraisal services, collection management consulting, acquisitions guidance, custom storage and display solutions, and map-focused interior design services. Whether preserving a family heirloom, furnishing a historic residence, or building an institutional collection, our goal is to help clients acquire, preserve, and enjoy exceptional examples of the cartographic arts.
Map Men of Geographicus
Kevin J. Brown (b. 1974, United States) is the founder and owner of Geographicus Rare Antique Maps, one of the world's leading dealers in original antique maps, atlases, globes, and historical prints. He holds degrees in Philosophy and History from Bennington College (Vermont), where he specialized in medieval pilgrimage and the history of travel. His fascination with antiques and material culture began while exploring the antiquarian bookshops and galleries of New England. After graduating, he spent several years dealing in African and Polynesian tribal art before turning his attention to early cartography and establishing Geographicus in 1999.
Kevin's approach to the history of cartography is founded on the belief that scholarship is enriched by experience. While rigorous archival research and the study of primary sources remain central to his work, he has sought firsthand insight into the lives of the explorers, merchants, surveyors, and mapmakers whose work he studies. To better understand the experience of early European exploration in South America, he spent a month traversing the rainforests of the Guiana Shield alongside indigenous guides. He has also walked extended sections of the ancient Roman road network through France and Spain, studied traditional bookbinding, copperplate engraving, letterpress printing, and historical drafting techniques, believing that practical familiarity with these crafts provides a deeper appreciation for the creation and interpretation of historic maps.
As an antiquarian, Kevin is particularly interested in expanding the known cartographic record. Rather than focusing exclusively on celebrated works long represented in institutional collections, he actively seeks maps that are exceptionally rare, historically overlooked, or entirely undocumented. This philosophy has led to the discovery, cataloging, and placement of numerous previously unrecorded or little-studied maps, many of which have since become part of important public and private collections.
Over the course of his career, Kevin has worked closely with many of the world's foremost libraries, museums, and research institutions, helping them acquire significant cartographic material and build collections of lasting scholarly value. Maps sourced through Geographicus Rare Antique Maps can be found in the collections of the Library of Congress, the David Rumsey Map Center at Stanford University, the Osher Map Library, the Boston Public Library, the British Library, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, the National Library of Qatar, and numerous other institutions, universities, museums, and distinguished private collections throughout the world.
Kevin is the author of A Journey Back in Time Through Maps (ISBN 8854412023), first published in 2017 and now in its 8th edition. The book has been translated into seven languages, including an expanded Brazilian edition released in 2019. Together with his colleague Spencer Hunt, he is also the co-author of Great City Plans: Visions and Evolution Through the Ages, an exploration of the evolution of urban cartography from antiquity to the modern era.
Kevin is also the creator and host of CartoCuriosity, a podcast dedicated to the history of cartography and geographic discovery. Through conversations that blend historical scholarship with engaging storytelling, the series explores remarkable maps, forgotten mapmakers, and the people, events, and ideas that shaped our understanding of the world. The podcast reflects Kevin's belief that historic maps are more than collectible objects; they are enduring records of human curiosity, exploration, science, and imagination.
Beyond his work in the antiquarian map trade, Kevin is the co-founder of ERSTWHILE MEZCAL, a boutique importer of artisanal mezcal and agave spirits based in Brooklyn, New York, and Oaxaca, Mexico. Working directly with small, independent family producers, the company is dedicated to preserving traditional production methods while introducing exceptional artisanal spirits to an international audience.
Spencer D. Hunt (*1988 United States) has earned two Master of Arts degrees: one from New York University in French Studies and the other from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in French Literature, where he taught beginning French. He also received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska with majors in History and French language. After deciding that a life in academia was not the best fit for him, Spencer joined Geographicus in 2017 and has brought a passion for history to the business.
Geographicus allows him to research wide-ranging historical questions and eras and always presents new historical stories to uncover and recount. He has always believed that history is less about the names and dates, but more about the stories of the events and people involved, and antique maps emphasize both. Each map captures a specific moment in time and one of the joys of the antique map trade is revealing the story each piece has to tell.
Spencer, along with the owner of Geographicus Kevin J. Brown, is the author Great City Plans: Visions and Evolution Through the Ages.
James W. Roy (*1969 United States) brings nineteen years of experience in the fine antique map trade to Geographicus. He holds degrees in History and Teaching from Hampshire and Smith College, with a focus on Medieval history, specifically the relationship between religious orthodoxy and secular power. James' interest in cartography dates to his formative years spent reading books about places that do not exist, generally involving orcs. After graduating, he worked as a teacher until discovering that there existed people who sold antique maps for a living. James left teaching for the map world and has remained ever since.
James approaches maps with a clients-first approach, creating lasting relationships with map aficionados in order to build meaningful and satisfying collections. While his efforts in this realm have not brought him anywhere more exotic than the archives of Durham Cathedral, James shares with Kevin a hands-on approach: In this case, working closely with his clients to choose maps that speak to their interests and experience, while developing their eye for aesthetics and quality to ensure that their collections will be not only enjoyable in the present but will remain valuable and desirable for years to come.
James is partial to maps that represent the "Unknown Knowns," that is to say, maps that seem familiar but that have been insufficiently appreciated by the map trade. (Ask him about the Munster Europe if you have a free hour.)
In addition to his work in the map trade, James is a performing musician, fronting the best guitar-pop band represented by any member of the trade in rare printed works. He is gracious enough not to insist you attend his live performances.
Steven Pieragastini (*1986 United States) is a researcher and cataloger with Geographicus. He has a bachelor's degree in History from Case Western Reserve University and doctorate in History from Brandeis University, with a dissertation focusing on Shanghai. After teaching for several years, he was lucky enough to join Geographicus in 2021 and spend his time working with beautiful antique maps.
Steve is fascinated by the amount of information that can be drawn out from a map and the ways a map reflects the context in which it was produced. He is particularly interested in how political, economic, environmental, and cultural developments are manifested in place names, borders, terrain, and other features.
Outside of work, Steve mostly enjoys hiking and meandering around New York and other great cities.
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Location and Appointments
We are pleased to welcome clients to our Brooklyn, New York gallery by private appointment. To arrange a personalized consultation, please contact our customer service team, who will be delighted to schedule a visit at your convenience.