Luke A Vavra Rare Maps And Books

Coolie Verner did us collectors of Virginia maps a big favor – he documented nine derivatives of John Smith’s 1612 map of Virginia. (I think there are 10 derivatives. But that’s another story.) A derivative has the same format and orientation as the original but presents each publisher’s version without encroaching on other versions (well, theoretically). Not only did he categorize them by derivative number, he added the “state”, that is, minor differences within the particular derivative.

Have I gone off the path of the title? Not quite. I can’t find some of the copies of Derivative 1, State 1, the map of Virginia by Jodocus Hondius, Jr., titled Nova Virginiae Tabula, 1618.

Where have all the copies gone? Let’s start out with a simpler question. How many did Jodocus print? A hundred? Fifty? Twenty? Who knows for certain? In the early 1600s, a major cost was the paper. We do know that in late 1629 Hondius or his widow assembled four copies of a “made-up” appendix of 46 of his mostly new maps for sale at a forthcoming Frankfurt book fair, the major book fair in Central Europe.  Map number 46 was a copy of the present map. Early in this century the printed quantity being thrown around was “20”. That seems to be a likely number, giving the cost of paper   and the problem of self- financing in an uncertain market. It would have been months before the Jodocus Hondius 46-map appendix was generating income.

Let’s  look for 20 copies of Jodocus’ map of Virginia, now designated “Derivative 1, State 1”.We’ll also list a couple of knockoffs later that sometimes seduce sellers into using  his name to get your attention. For right mow, let’s look   at what we know.

No record of sale or offering on Rare Book Hub. Rare Book Hub (a subscription service $525 per year) has 13,934, 143 searchable records in the Rare Book Transaction History, including maps, books and prints as of late May, 2024.  Jodocus’ 1618 map of Virginia was not among them.

Research of the internet reveals that Colonial Williamsburg and Mount Vernon have copies of the map, and that several years ago Jonathan Potter sold one and Barry Ruderman sold two, and I have a copy. Regarding the Christies auction of November 1993 about a made-up “Appendix” of Jodocus Hondius maps, that appendix appears to be one of the four made up by his firm in 161\29 in preparation for the Frankfurt book fair.  I am not aware of any offerings or sales, except those identified above, during the past two decades.

None is offered on the internet except my copy.

None has been sold by Old World Auctions in the last 20 years.

No record of sale or offering on Rare Book Hub.      

COPIES LOCATED – SUMMARY

Caution. When determining the total number of maps, consider the possibility that one or more of the “sold” copies may have been to an entity listed as having one.

[1] ABE Books has one for sale (my copy).

[2] Barry Ruderman sold two.

 [3] Colonial Williamsburg

[4] George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.

[5] Jonatan Potter sold one (business now closed).

[6] Theodore de Bry (or his wife) prepared four copies in a made-up collection of 46 for the Frankfurt book fair.

[7] Christies sold one as part of a made-up collection, believed to be one of the four made-up by de Bry. Counting this would duplicate one of the four prepared by de Bry.

TOTAL: 7, if the three known dealer sales are not counted; 10, if  the three  sales are counted. See “Caution” above.

CHRONOLOGY:

1618 –Jodocus had approximately 20 copies of his map of Virginia printed showing his engraved name and had some or all of them in his shop in Amsterdam, presumably for sale. This is Derivative 1, State 1.

1629 – Jodocus or his widow made up four atlases of 46 maps in preparation for the autumn Frankfurt book fair. The maps were numbered in pencil, and of interest is number   46, Nova Virginiae Tabula.

1629 – Jodocus Hondius died in August.

1629 – Willem Janszoon Blaeu bought 46 Jodocus Hondius’ copper plates from his widow. Blaeu substituted his own name on the Jodocus Hondius copper plate of Virginia but made no other changes. This is Derivative 1, State 2.

1630. Blaeu began selling the Virginia map in his Atlantis Appendix.

1630 – Jodocus’ younger brother Henricus copied Jodocus’ map, inserted his own name and began selling in collaboration with Johannes Janssonius.  This is Derivative 5, State 1.

It seems I have located 7 to10 of the maps. I’ll leave it up to you, the younger generation of Virginia map aficionados, to locate the remainder, whatever it is.