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Description

Striking example of John Speed's decorative map of Africa.

The side borders contain two sets of five decorative costumes of various African peoples; the top border shows views of eight African cities.

The source of the Nile is based upon Ptolemy (two lakes) Monomotapa which dominates southern Africa.

The map is richly illustrated with animals, ships, sea serpents and other decorations.

Condition Description
Minor toning. Toning at centerfold, with two flattened printer's creases at the bottom of the centerfold. Archival mesh support laid over the centerfold on recto.
Reference
Norwich 30
John Speed Biography

John Speed (1551 or '52 - 28 July 1629) was the best known English mapmaker of the Stuart period. Speed came to mapmaking late in life, producing his first maps in the 1590s and entering the trade in earnest when he was almost 60 years old.

John Speed's fame, which continues to this day, lies with two atlases, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine (first published 1612), and the Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World (1627). While The Theatre ... started as solely a county atlas, it grew into an impressive world atlas with the inclusion of the Prospect in 1627. The plates for the atlas passed through many hands in the 17th century, and the book finally reached its apotheosis in 1676 when it was published by Thomas Bassett and Richard Chiswell, with a number of important maps added for the first time.