This is a rare pirated edition of Michel Florent van Langren's pioneering map of the Moon. A Flemish astronomer and engineer born into a well-known family of cartographers, Van Langren set out to create a more accurate, scientific representation of the lunar surface based on the latest telescopic observations. Based on 30 of his own drawings of various lunar phases, his work was one of the first maps of the Moon. Although the text beneath his original map, published in a limited run in 1645, explicitly forbade unauthorized copies, this example appears to be just that. It is a new engraving with six altered place names and no text beneath the map. Van Langren based his place names on saints, royalty, scientists, patrons, and other people of note. He even named one of the seas, Mare Langreni, after his own family.

References: Kanas, pp. 266-67.

Condition: A

On a sheet with a bunch of grapes watermark, a few insignificant spots, a vertical extraneous crease at left, and some minute holes that are only visible when the map is held up to light.