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Decorative example of the first edition of John Speed's map of Bermuda, first published in London in 1676.
Speed's map of Bermuda was compiled in 1622 by Richard Norwood. It is the first English printed map published in an atlas to show Bermuda divided into Tribes and Shares. These divisions designated the properties given to the 'Adventurers,' led by Sir George Sommers, who were shipwrecked there in 1609.
Speed's map of Bermuda became the standard map of the 17th century and was copied by Blaeu, Jansson, Ogilby and others. The title is in both English and Latin.
The map was engraved by Abraham Goos in Amsterdam for Speed's Prospect and his imprint appears below the scale of miles. The imprint of George Humble is at left. The map is embellished with sailing ships, a compass rose, four cartouches and two coats of arms. English text on verso.
An important map for Bermuda collectors.
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.
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