Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - August - 2006 Issue
Early American Maps and Atlases from Martayan Lan
De Bry's mountainous Florida; Sanson's island California.
Nicolas Sanson d'Abbeville was one of the greatest French mapmakers, though he was one of those most responsible for promoting the California myth. Item 48 is his first atlas of America, circa 1667. L'Amerique, en Plusieurs Cartes Nouvelles... Sanson was one of the most accurate early cartographers of the Great Lakes, but because of the respect he commanded, his depiction of California as an island helped to perpetuate the myth. $10,500.
The Chatelain map of 1719, published in Paris, was one of the last to still depict an offshore California. It is a fantastic map, filled with pictures of historic events, native rituals, plants and animals, and other scenes from the New World along its borders. Even the California myth comes with a caveat, Chatelain noting that "moderns" believe it to be part of the mainland. This map is such an outstanding work of art that he may be forgiven an occasional error. Item 14. $26,500.
The 1591 De Bry map of Florida is considered one of the most important for this territory, being the basis of maps published for another century. It was made from drawings purchased by De Bry from the estate of French cartographer Jacques Le Moyne. Le Moyne had actually visited southeastern North America, so unlike most European mapmakers, he had some personal familiarity with the territory. Some of the east coast features look fairly accurate, although southern Florida appears to have been chopped off. Internal features came mainly from Indian reports. A large lake in central northern Florida is said to contain silver, nearby mountains gold. At the northern edge of the map is a large body of water, probably the imagined arm of the Pacific Ocean. Item 36. $20,000.
Martayan Lan may be found online at www.martayanlan.com, telephone 212-308-0018.
