- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
From the Publisher
"Seymour Schwartz provides a richly textured and illustrated biography of one of the most important maps in history by deftly placing this unique work within its geographical and historical context and recounting the major controversies associated with its creation, interpretation, and preservation. I recommend it to the casual reader as well as the serious student of history."RALPH E. EHRENBERG Former Chief, Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress Author of Mapping the World: An Illustrated History of Cartography
"The general reader should rejoice that Dr. Seymour Schwartz has happily combined a personal and genial account of his investigations into the earliest maps of America with the detailed story of how the amazing Waldseemüller map from 1507 was invented, printed, lost, rediscovered, and finally bought by the U. S. Library of Congress. Dr. Schwartz draws us into his tale with his infectious enthusiasm and well-informed connoisseurship."
H. C. ERIK MIDELFORT C. Julian Bishko Professor of History University of Virginia
"Schwartz's superb research takes us back to the early sixteenth century with a riveting tale of the history of America's first map - a must read for map lovers and historians."
DAVID A. COBB Curator, Harvard Map Collection Co-editor of Mapping Boston
Overview
In 1507, a German cartographer created a world map that, for the first time, included the continental landmasses in the Western Hemisphere, discovered within the 15 previous years. He inserted the name "America" on the southern continent, honoring Amerigo Vespucci, who had erroneously been credited with setting foot on South American soil before Christopher Columbus. With the aid of the newly invented printing press, the name "America" became the accepted designation of land in ...