NP: NP, (1683). 6 x 4. An attractive little map that illustrates one of most glaring and persistent geographic errors of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. California here is boldly shown as an immense Isle de Californie with a flat northern coast and four islands between the eastern shore and the mainland. There are a few recognizable place names: Cape Mendocino, San Francisco Draco, Mont Rey, Saint Diego. Inland there is a lake feeding the Norte R. (Rio del Norte, today the Rio Grande) that runs into the Mer Vermeio (today the Gulf of California) another error that would be corrected by the end of the seventeenth century. The Real de Nueva Mexico (Santa Fe) is correctly located east of the Norte R. In the lower part of the map two ships are engaged in battle, the title cartouche is flanked by native figures and to the north is Terres Inconnues. The map is from Alain M. Mallet's Description de l'UniversÉ, the first issue published in Paris in 1683. A little browning around the edges, else a good strong impression. McLaughlin 87-1. Item #26712

Price: $550.00