This book examines the history of the sea chart in both aesthetic and scientific terms. Chapters are organized along chronological and geographical lines. Each one opens with a succinct history of the charting of a particular area, and is followed by a sumptuous plate section of significant charts that support the text. Stand alone feature boxes explain key figures and themes.
What makes this book so impressive is the selection of charts that the author, John Blake, has carefully gathered together from some of the most important archives in the world. The collection includes the early portolan charts of the fifteenth century, original manuscript charts of Europe, India and the Orient, and nautical maps that show the medieval view of the known world.
This volume features examples from famous sets of charts, such as The Mariner's Mirrour, the English translation of the celebrated Spieghel der Zeevaerdt, Dell' Arcano del Mare, Le Neptune Francois, and the Atlantic Neptune, together with rare examples of individual charts, such as Benjamin Franklin's Chart of the North Atlantic.