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Description

Interesting pair of maps covering "Ancient China"

 The first map extends from the Sea of Japan and a very crude representation of Korea to the Isles Barueses (Philippines), with a fascinating treatment of China and the regions to the South.

The second map shows the mounth of the Ganges and the region to the west of the Malaysian Peninsula.

Alain Manesson Mallet Biography

Alain Mannesson Mallet (1630-1706) was a French mapmaker and engineer who served in the armies of Louis XIV. After rising through the ranks, Mallet was appointed as Inspector of Fortifications, a job which also required mathematical skills and which made him a competent military engineer. Eventually, he joined the court of Louis XIV at Versailles, where he taught math and focused on writing.

Mallet is best known for his Description de L’Univers, first published in 1683, in five volumes. A wide-ranging geographical work, the Description included textual descriptions of the countries of the world, as well as maps of the celestial sky and the ancient and modern worlds. The Description continued to be published until the early eighteenth century. He also published a work in three volumes on warfare (1684) and a primer on geometry (1702).