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Description

Probably the Best Extant Facsimile of the Verazzano World Map. From the Collection of Edward Luther Stevenson.

Excellent facsimile of this important world map recording the voyage of Giovanni de Verrazzano in 1524.

The map is not well-illustrated online, and this is probably the best extant photograph of the map.

The map includes a depiction of the mythical Sea of Verrazzano stretching from the Pacific to the East Coast of North America.

The original map is currently in the Vatican Library. It was previously in the Museo Borgia of the Propaganda Fide.

For a more in-depth treatment, see the My Old Maps essay: https://www.myoldmaps.com/renaissance-maps-1490-1800/347-the-verrazano-world-map/347-verrazano.pdf

Watch Geography Geek's Video on Verrazzano's Discoveries

The Most Important Map in American History

 

The Edward Luther Stevenson Collection

Edward Luther Stevenson was among the most important scholars of early cartography active at the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. He was responsible for numerous cartobibliographic books, including the first translation of Ptolemy to English, as well as a series of impressive facsimile maps produced while he was at the Hispanic Society of New York. Dr. Stevenson viewed facsimiles as integral to the study of early cartography, and he committed himself to building an unparalleled collection of photographs of early maps and globes.  Much of his collection was donated to Yale University after his death (click on the title link above for about that), but the present item comes from a large collection of photos, manuscripts, and related material that were part of Stevenson's library, but were not donated to Yale. It is truly an impressive collection and many of the items, though reproductions, have serious antiquarian merit. As Alexander O. Vietor said about Stevenson collection that went to Yale "this is the stuff of which great libraries are made."

Condition Description
Hand-colored black and white photographs on 24 sheets, unjoined. One of the sheets with a tear through the upper-right corner (see illustration). PLEASE NOTE the primary image for this map is a digital composite that was computer-generated, the actual composite image may differ slightly. Contemporary half-white paper over marbled paper folder.

Small incision on binding.