[California & the Pacific Northwest] Carta particolare dello stretto di Iezo fra l'America e L'Isola Iezo

Book Description

[Florence: Guiseppi Cocchini, 1661]. Copper-engraved map, in excellent condition. 21 3/8 x 16 7/8 inches. The rare chart of California and the Pacific Northwest from the second edition of Dudley's 'Arcano del Mare,' the first sea atlas by an Englishman; and the first atlas with all the charts based on Mercator's Projection. Sir Robert Dudley was the son of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, the paramour of Queen Elizabeth I. His desire to marry the Queen led the elder Dudley to have his marriage declared invalid, and his children, thus, illegitimate. The younger Dudley was nevertheless one of the richest men in England when James I came to the throne. A prolonged quarrel in court led to Dudley's leaving for Florence, where he spent the rest of his life as a leading member of the Medici court. It was in Florence over a twelve year period that he prepared his great Arcano del Mare. This chart of the Pacific Northwest is typical of the high quality of the work in the atlas. The quality of the engraving and lettering is of the highest order. The chart shows all of the American Pacific coast from San Francisco Bay north to the Arctic. Several of the California place names, such as Po(r)to di Nueva Albion for San Francisco, are taken from the voyage of Sir Francis Drake. C. Mendocino is clearly marked. Further north, much of the detail is conjectural, as these regions were little-known in Dudley's day. Costa Brava di Quivera is shown. Nevertheless, the chart is a fascinating look at 17th century geographical thought concerning the present areas of Oregon, Washington State, British Columbia, and Alaska. Burden, The Mapping of North America I, 284

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