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The Earliest Obtainable English Terrestrial Globe.

This globe is a fine example of the 1683 14½-inch terrestrial sphere created by Morden, Berry, and Lea, one of the earliest English globes. It follows only the pioneering designs of Emery Molyneux and Joseph Moxon, capturing a moment in English history marked by rapid colonial expansion and rising commercial interests overseas.

This edition of the globe reflects the evolving realities of English colonial territories in North America, notably including William Penn's recently established Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, founded just the year before. The globe's detailed rendering of English colonies in North America demonstrates both the growing precision of English cartography and the nation's expanding colonial ambitions.

The globe was first issued by Robert Morden and William Berry in 1673 (Term Catalogues, Michaelmas Term - Licensed November 24th.) In the Trinity Term of 1683, the globe was again advertised in the Term Catalogues. Two sizes were offered: a larger pair of celestial and terrestrial globes measuring "about fifteen inches" in diameter, priced at £4, and a smaller ten-inch set available for 50 shillings. The advertisement added Philip Lea at the Atlas and Hercules in the Poultry to the sellers of the previous iteration, Morden and Berry.

The globe features the sea tracks of Drake and Cavendish, emphasizing the globe-spanning accomplishments of English explorers almost 100 years before Captain Cook would undertake his nation-defining voyages.  

The reader note on the map notes:

Think it not Strange, that the Description of this Globe differs so much from all other Globes extant; for indeed there is not any part of ye Earth, wherein we have not made a considerable alteraco [alteration.].  Asia & America is all new, & wholy different from w[ha]t was ever yet drawn upon a Globe; ye Eastern part of Asia Rectified more then 10. degrees. & many places, in Europe, Africa, & America, more then 5. degrees; many eminent Citys & towns inserted w[hi]ch are wholy Omitted in others; ye Longitudes, & Latitudes, of most places being new corrected & adjusted; not only by late discoveries but also by Trigonometrical calculaco [calculations], & the more accurate Celestial Observations of Modern Authors.

Cartography

The globe captures a fascinating blend of cartographic myths, uncharted territories, and the speculative geography of the early modern world. 

One of the most notable features is the depiction of California as an island, a misconception that persisted in European cartography for nearly a century. This mistaken identity, probably originating from Spanish explorations in the 16th century, places California adrift in the Pacific, separated from the North American mainland. Despite growing evidence that California was part of the continent, this isolated portrayal of California remained popular, adding an air of mystery to the Western shores of the New World.

On the northern edge of Asia, the Terra de Iesso appears as a vast and speculative landmass. Often thought to be connected to North America or Siberia, this mythical territory represented a hopeful extension of knowledge into the unknown reaches of the Pacific. Its presence on this globe reflects early attempts to understand the geography of northeastern Asia and northwestern North America, regions largely inaccessible and still cloaked in legend for European audiences.

The southern hemisphere is marked by equally ambitious and incomplete depictions. Australia and New Zealand, both partially charted at this point, appear only as fragmented coastlines, hinting at lands that were as much a matter of speculation as of discovery. The outline of Australia is broken, with only part of the western coast and southern Tasmania visible, while New Zealand might be represented by an isolated coastline, awaiting future explorers to fill in the gaps a century later.

In Africa, the twin lakes at the supposed source of the Nile present another enduring myth. These lakes, stemming from ancient geographic theories, were placed in East Africa to explain the Nile's origins. Though European explorers had yet to confirm the true source, these mythical lakes provided a convenient and visually balanced solution to a long-standing mystery in cartography.

The absence of the Mississippi River, despite its crucial role in North American geography, reflects the limited European knowledge of the continent’s interior. At this time, only vague notions of a large, fertile river basin existed. Instead, the amorphous and open Great Lake system on this globe serves as a stand-in for the vast freshwater system in the region, a far cry from the accurate mapping of the five Great Lakes and Mississippi River that would come after Father Louis Hennepin's forthcoming exploration of the region.

The globe seems to leave open the possibilities of the elusive Northeast and Northwest Passages, embodying the fervent hope for maritime routes across North America and Eurasia to the riches fo the East.

Brouwer’s Strait (here "Brewer Streit"), situated east of Staten Island, adds a final idiosyncratic touch. This strait, named after Dutch Admiral Hendrik Brouwer, is not a true strait but rather an open seaway discovered during a 1643 Dutch circumnavigation of Staten Island in present-day Argentina. The feature reflects European attempts to trace the southernmost parts of South America and solidify their understanding of the globe’s oceanic contours.

Rarity

A pair of the terrestrial and celestial globes sold at Christie's in July 2024 for £201,600 (approx. $260,000). In 2013, Christie's had sold an example of the terrestrial globe, with a very dirty surface of the sphere but a beautiful original stand, for £56,250.

An example of the third state, at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, University of Cambridge, Wh. 2691, is the subject of Emma Perkins's 2019 Imago Mundi article "The Seventeenth-Century Terrestrial Globe by Morden, Berry and Lea".