After the death of his grandfather, Michael Mercator produced this stunning hemispherical map (the only known printed map to be attributed to him). The map is surrounded by a beautifully engraved floral design and four roundels, one of which contains the title. The other insets include the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, and Haiti. The geography was patterned after Rumold Mercator's world map of 1587, with a little more added detail. There is a large inland lake in Canada, and the St Lawrence River extends nearly halfway across the continent with no Great Lakes. There is a bulge in the west coast of South America. The large southern continent extends above the Tropic of Capricorn in the Pacific where there is a very large island of New Guinea. Above North America are two of the four islands of the North Pole, with the great mythical rivers flowing from the pole. "America" and page signature "E" on verso indicating this is from the 1595 or 1602 edition.

References: Burden #87.

Condition: B

Even toning and slight mat burn in margins that have been slightly trimmed. Minor printer's crease along centerfold and a tiny damp stain in Terra Australis.