Claudius Ptolemy was a mathematician, astronomer and geographer who worked in Alexandria, then a part of the Roman Empire, in the 2nd century AD. One of the most learned and influential men of his time, his theories dominated both astronomy and geography for nearly 1500 years. His writings were kept alive by Arabic scholars during the Middle Ages and reemerged in Europe during the Renaissance. The birth of printing led to wide dissemination of his great works on astronomy and geography. There were a number of editions of his Geographia beginning in 1477. These early editions contained maps based on his original writings, known as Ptolemaic maps. As geographic knowledge increased with the explorations of Columbus, Magellan, Cabot and others, maps of the New World were added, and maps of the Old World were revised. Ptolemy's Geographia continued to be revised and published by some of the most important cartographers including Martin Waldseemuller, Sebastian Munster, Giacomo Gastaldi, Jodocus Hondius, and Gerard Mercator (whose last edition was published in 1730).

This classic map is from the Ptolemaic section of the Geografia. The information portrayed on the map was compiled by Ptolemy principally from voyager's reports in the era of 100-150 A.D, thus the islands are distorted by the characteristic east-west orientation of Scotland. The seas are stipple engraved in the Italian style. First state of the plate. Latin text on verso.

References: Mickwitz & Miekkavaara #217-4; Shirley (MCC-94) #67.

Condition: B+

On watermarked paper with light toning along the centerfold and light soiling and dampstaining, mostly confined to the margins. There are a few short splits along the centerfold.