Collecting Old Maps

Winner of the prestigious Gold Medal for reference books in the 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards. The highly anticipated second edition of Collecting Old Maps is completely revised, widely expanded and now in full color. While maintaining the original approach to the nuts and bolts of collecting, there is new information on collecting in the digital age, building and disposing of a collection, paper making history, and the mythological figures, symbols and allegory used in cartography. The Map Gallery section is expanded and profusely illustrated in full color. The maps were assembled to illustrate the five-century evolution of printed maps and how they changed both artistically and technically in response to various cultural and market influences. They illustrate the progression from the simple woodcuts of the incunabula period to the elegant copperplate engravings of Renaissance Italy, then to the Baroque Dutch compositions, the refined style of scientific cartographers, and finally the technically advanced, but sometime whimsical, approach of the 20th-century mapmakers. As in the first edition, these maps represent a broad range of geographic regions, cartographic importance, and prices. Rather than focusing on the rare and obscure, these are maps that can be collected today. This book provides clear, practical answers to many of the questions collectors face. What do condition descriptions really mean; Is the color on a map old or modern; Where and how can I research a map; What are the factors affecting prices; What are the differences between buying from dealers and buying at auctions; How should I care for and store my collection; How can I identify fakes; What is the history and meaning of the mythical characters and symbolism on old maps. Whether you are a neophyte or a veteran map collector, or just love maps, this book belongs in your library. It is also a gorgeous art book that will be equally at home on your coffee table.