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Scarce map of the United States, whimsically depicting a massive New York and Brooklyn area, with a highly distorted and intentionally inaccurate representation of the rest of the country.
The present example is an early state of the map, with a New York City address. Perhaps most interestingly, it includes a separate signed letter from Wallingford, to Mrs. G. W. Wade of Forest Hills, New York, incorporated at price list and identifying the 3 then available map sizes:
- 8.5 x 6.5 inches (with an example, the present map, enclosed)
- 12.5 x 10 inches
- 20 x 15 inches
- The letter also notes that hand colored and varnished examples of the large map were available at an additional charge.
Wallingford's map is delightful combination of humor, satire and provincialism. Among the more entertaining depictions is the massive depiction of Florida, 3 rivers running through the southern states and ending in the Gulf of Mexico, each named "Swanee River," massive depiction of Hollywood as the entire lower 3rd of California, Yellowstone Park and Ottumwe (Iowa) shown in Colorado, and Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, Dubuque and Nebraska all shown as cities in Illinois, to name but a few. The side bar commentary is equally entertaining.
Wallingford's map was first published prior to 1935. An example was published The Columbia University Press for the 1936 Times Book Fair. A second edition was printed for the 1937 Times Book Fair with a note printed on the back by the publisher that it had "appealed so strongly to Fairgoers of 1936 that we have been persuaded to offer it again."
The map was also done in color in a larger format, with an example on glossy paper, apparently in connection with the 1939 New York World's Fair. Wallingford also published a Bostonian's Idea of the United States of America. The addresses on each edition are different. Our example includes a 452 West 144th Street, New York, addess, All other examples we have located include addresses in Boston.
The following link includes an early sales sample of the map, with a letter from Wallingford referencing 3 different sizes of maps, pricing, bulk pricing and a price for hand colored examples: /gallery/detail/41802
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