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Description

Unrecorded third state of William Berry's 2 sheet map of Poland, first issued in about 1683 in London.

William Berry's map of Poland was the first large scale map of Poland published in England. While the map credits Nicholas Sanson's earlier map as its source, the map is in fact drawn from Hubert Jaillot's map of Poland published in the preceding decade in Amsterdam. The map provides a fine large format look at Poland, Lithuania and parts of Russia and Ukraine.

The first edition of Berry's map bears a dedication to Charles II, whereas Bowles has revised the dedication to the then present King, George II.

This unrecorded third state with the imprint of John Bowles was issued circa 1744. The extremely rare second state of the map, bears the imprint of the partnership of Thomas Taylor, Philip Overton and John Lenthall.

A panel of text on Prussia has been inserted in this state of the map, which states:

"Before 1657 Ducal Prussia was held by the Duke of Brandenburg as a Vassal to the Crown of Poland, but in that Year his Son Frederick William obtain'd by Treaty the full Sovereignty of the Country on condition that upon Failure of their Heirs it should return to the Poles, and become a Fief of their Crown; and in 1700 Frederick son to Frederick William the Great was with unusual Solemnity proclaimed King of Prussia in contempt of Pope Clement 11th's opposition. So that it ceased to be Ducal and is now the Kingdom of Prussia".

This state of the map is of the utmost rarity. We have been unable to locate any other examples of the map, this example having been catalogued originally by Ashley Baynton Williams in 2013 for the London Antiquarian Book Fair.

Condition Description
Minor discoloration along folds.