Spectacular Atlases and Maps from Bernard Shapero Rare Books
Moses Pitt's English Atlas.
Prior to the Blaeus seizing the market in the mid-17th century, the finest atlases had come from another mapmaker, Gerard Mercator. He had coined the word "atlas" to describe a collection of maps. It is unclear whether he chose the term to recognize the mythical Greek strongman who held up the world, or Libyan King Atlas, a mathematician and astronomer. A decade after Mercator's death, Jodocus Hondius purchased his plates at an auction of his son's effects, and began publishing atlases, updated with his own new maps. Item 11 is a 1630 Mercator atlas published by Henricus Hondius, Atlas sive cosmographicae... Hondius was still the most notable atlas publisher at this time, though the firm would soon be displaced by the Blaeus. £65,000 (US $114,120).
The other great mapmaker of Mercator's era was Abraham Ortelius. Ortelius was a competitor, but also a personal friend of Mercator. Item 12 is one of his Theatre de l'univers, contenant les cartes de tout le monde. This is the fourth French language edition, published in Antwerp in 1587. It includes 112 engraved double-page maps. £75,000 (US $131,677).
Item 15 is The English Atlas by Moses Pitt. This four-volume atlas was published from 1680-1683 in London. Pitt hoped to compete with the Blaeus, but despite this fine effort, Pitt ran out of money, eventually spending some time in debtor's prison. £35,000 (US $61,436).
Here is a circa 1730 world map, with contemporary hand coloring, by a man still a household name, though not for his maps. The mapmaker was Edmund Halley, better known as one of the world's leading astronomers, and more specifically for the comet that bears his name. Halley predicted that "Halley's Comet" would revisit the earth every 76 years. His was the first map to show isogonals, lines of equal magnetic pull which he believed would enable voyagers to compute longitude. However, fluctuations in magnetic strength made this use impossible. £8,000 (US $14,044).
Shapero notes that for those who find these prices a bit demanding, they have much more material available at less challenging prices. Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books may be found online at www.shapero.com, telephone +44 (0)20 7493 0876.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
