Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - January - 2004 Issue
Two Small Catalogues from<br>Asher Books, Martayan Lan
Martayan Lan’s recent acquisitions.
Martayan Lan offers a catalogue of 40 “Recent Acquisitions” of maps and sea charts. Item 2 is what is described as the “first modern atlas,” an Ortelius/Vrients Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. From 1603, it includes 156 color maps. The Vrients editions of the Ortelius atlas were the largest, and the color and condition of this copy are described as of “the highest level.” Price on request.
A major work of Americana is William Hubbard’s The Present State of New England. This is the London printing of the book whose Boston edition from earlier that year (1677) contained the first map printed in North America. This book contains an account of King Philip’s War, which resulted in enormous casualties for both the settlers and the Indians. The copy offered is a first London edition which includes the description of the White Mountains of New Hampshire as the “Wine” Hills. Item 3. $55,000.
Item 9 is the second, and a close second, map of Chicago. Printed in 1834, the same year as the printing of the first, this is J.S. Wright’s Chicago map. $15,000. Among the other American maps is a 1630 Dutch map of “Americae” by Gerritsz (item 10; $2,000) and a 1550 map from Munster of the Western Hemisphere (Item 11; $5,500). Item 7 is Montresor’s Plan De New York, a map of New York City as it appeared in 1777. $17,500.
Also available are ancient maps of Asia, Europe, South America, Africa, Bermuda and the world. Item 16 is Thevenot’s 1663 map of Australia. It is described as “the earliest acquirable map specifically of Australia." $10,500.
Items 24-40 are examples of Robert Dudley’s sea charts. All but two were printed in Florence in 1646 (those two were printed in 1661). Item 24 is a chart of the North American east coast, from North Florida to Labrador. $18,000. Item 26 shows the Pacific coast from California to Northwest South America. $6,500. Item 27 depicts one of the most common routes of the slave trade from West Africa to the Caribbean and Brazil. $5,500.
Martayan Lan can be located online at www.martayanlan.com or by phone at 212-308-0018.
