Fascinating map of the southern part of Africa showing the fountains of the Nile located in an underground cavern beneath the Mountains of the Moon. Kircher's map illustrates a report by Peter Paez, a contemporary Jesuit colleague, that purportedly observed the 'fountains' in 1618. Athanasius Kircher was a Jesuit scholar whose theories included the notion that the world's oceans were all interconnected and there was a vast network of underground springs and reservoirs. Published in Kircher's famous Subterranean World.

References: Norwich #157.

Condition: B+

Attractive color on watermarked paper with some printer's ink residue and a professionally repaired centerfold separation that just enters image at top.