Published in 1572, the cartography book ‘L’isole’ or ‘Island Atlas’ is one of the most important books of the 16th century. It was written by Tommaso Porcacchi and engraved by Girolamo Porro from Italy, and it contains the first ever map of continental America plus multiple other historical maps. Our team of in-house book experts are very excited to have this beautiful book, a first edition, at auction until Friday, 2nd March (2018). This is a wonderful opportunity to such a fascinating book featuring illustrations, annotations and an extremely interesting early description of Christopher Columbus' travels. Read on to discover more.
Turn the Pages of History
Written in the golden age of exploration and map making, ‘L’isole’ - or ‘Island Atlas’ - consists of 30 engraved half-page maps and plans representing the most important isles of the world. Each map presented in the volume is followed by a description of the geography, history, economy and interesting facts of the region, including principal places, physical features, climate, customs and produce. The island atlas was printed in Venice, Italy, and thus this city is the first depicted in the book. Not only is the example at auction an exhilarating first edition, it has some extremely interesting key content which contributes to making it so important.
The island atlas was printed in Venice, Italy, and thus this city is the first depicted in the book
A Book of Exciting Treasures
One of the most important entries in the book is the lengthy account of the arrival of famed Italian explorer Christopher Columbus to the Caribbean. The author indulges in a long and detailed description of his travels to the new world including to Hispaniola, the 22nd-largest island in the world. The map of North America featured in the book is also particularly exciting. Paolo Forlani - the pioneering creator of several world maps - created a version of this map, that was reduced here, it was the first to depict the US landmass as a single continental entity. The version in this book is therefore an important part of North American history - making this first edition ‘L’isole’ a remarkable object at auction.
'L'isole' was the first atlas to depict the US landmass as a single continental entity
Journey Across the World
The book takes the reader on an adventure across the islands of world. The first 15 illustrations in the book visit Venice and her surrounds, then passes from east to west through the Mediterranean, from Corfu, Crete and Cyprus via Rhodes, Sicily and Malta, to Corsica, Elba and the Balearics. Through the next 6 illustrations, Northern Europe, the British Isles, Scotland, Ireland, the Frisian islands, Iceland and Gotland can all be seen. Across the Atlantic are then Hispanola, Cuba, St. Lawrence, Ceylon and Moluccas. The next 4 illustrations in the book comprise a map of North America, followed by a detailed plan of Mexico City at the time of the Spanish conquest. And finally? Two very attractive and complete world maps - the second specifically designed for the use of navigators - bring the journey to a close.
'L'isole' features 30 half-page engraved maps followed by a description of the geography, history, economy and interesting facts of the region, including principal places, physical features, climate, customs and produce
The Next Destination: L’isole at Auction
The beautifully bound atlas has great value as well as cultural and historical significance, and represents the first in 7 very popular editions of the book. The last was published in 1686 and together with the ‘Isolario’ of Bordone, the ‘Isole Famose’ of Giovanni Francesco Camocio and the ‘Geographia’ by Livio Sanuto, represents Italy’s greatest and most fundamental contribution to map-making, both from a theoretical and a practical side. 'L'isole' will be in our Old & Rare (Pre-1800) Books auction until Friday, 2nd March (2018), so take a look for the chance to own the most important geographical book of the 16th century.
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