SENEX JOHN; and MAXWELL JOHN A Map of the World

Sale 2464 - Lot 211

Price Realized: $ 3,750

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000

SENEX, JOHN; and MAXWELL, JOHN. A Map of the World Corrected from the Observations Communicated to the Royal Societys of London and Paris. Large engraved double-hemispheric map of the world on two sheets of laid paper joined. 25 1/4x43 3/4 inches sheet size, wide margins; original outline hand-color; few well-repaired edge tears, two just extending into printed surface, some soft creasing but overall quite nice. London, 1711

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Fine example of the scarce first issue of this beautiful and informative world map published by John Senex and his partner, John Maxwell. Later variants of the map eliminate Maxwell's name from the plate and attach the island of California to the mainland.

Senex tastefully combines scientific interest of the eighteenth century, incorporating extensive and detailed text on the theory of tides and trade winds by Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley to completely surround the twin hemispheres of the map in a finely engraved script. Further bits of contemporary information are scattered across the land and oceans such as "This way a North West Passage to China has several times been attempted without success"; and in Australia "…no fourfooted beasts except an amphibious one as big as a dog, with sea cows, and innumerable quantities of rats as great as cats; allso black swans and parots"; or at the eastern coast of Tartary "It is not known where this chain of mountains ends or whether they are not joined to some other continent."