Description

PUBLICATION DETAILS: The title is across the top of the map: “America Sive Novus Orbis Respectu Europaeorum Inferior Globi Terrestri Pars. 1596.” Publication data is at the bottom center: “Francofurti ad Moenum Formis Theod. de Bry.” Published in Latin in all Latin and German language editions of Part VI of de Bry’s Grands Voyages. Although the map is dated 1596, once removed from the book, it is imposable to determine the actual publication date or language of the book. Burden 91.

PUBLISHED IN: Das sechste Theil der neuwen Welt. oder Der Historien Hieron. Benzo von Meylandt, Das dritte Buch. Darinnen warhafftig erzehlet wirdt, wie die Spanier die Goldreiche Landschafften deß Peruanischen Königreichs eyngenommen, den König Atabalibam gefangen und getödtet. Auch wie sie entlich sich selbst untereinander auffgerieben haben. …. M.D. XCVII. (Church, 188)(Crawford, pp. 27-28).

Although the map appears is Part VI of de Bry’s Grand voyages which uses text from Girolamo Benzoni’s History of the new world, there is no evidence Benzoni provided the draft for the map. His Historia contains no maps. The de Brys were not geographers but did create the highly distorted map in Part IV.. Also, the firm owned the rights to le White’s map of Virginia from Part I and Moyne’s map of Florida used in Part II. “This beautifully engraved map follows the style de Bry was becoming known for; he was one of the major influences encouraging the full decoration of maps” (Burden). The map is largely derived from the Petrus Plancius world map of 1594, and incorporates information acquired by Cornelis Claesz in 1594 from the Lasso chart, depicting a single insular Newfoundland. It also incorporates for the first time on an American map is information from White and Le Moyne along the Southeast Coast of North America (Burden).

DESCRIPTION: Includes latitude and longitude scales. Topographic relief is shown pictorially. Four explorers support the circle enclosing the hemisphere. The explorers, with dates of their discoveries, are from top left: Christopher Columbus (1492) and Amerigo Vespucci (1497); from bottom left: Ferdinand Magellan (1519), and Francisco Pizarro (1526). Includes illustrations of ships and a monstrous fish.

CONDITION: Full, attractive color. Centerfold, as issued.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Benzoni, Girolamo. La Historia del Mondo Nuova. Venice: 1572. [The major source book for de Bry Parts IV-VI.]

Burden, Philip D. The Mapping of North America. Rickmansworth: Raleigh Publications, 1996.

Church, Elihu Dwight. A Catalogue of Books Relating to the discovery of North and South America, Forming a Part of Library of E. D. Church. Compiled and annotated George Watson Cole. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1907.

Crawford Library, Bibliotheca Lindesiana : Collations and Notes, no. 3 : Grands et Petits Voyages of de Bry B. Author: James Ludovic Lindsay, Earl of Crawford. Published Bernard Quaritch, Piccadilly, 1884.

Van Groesen, Michiel. (2007). The De Bry collection of voyages (1590-1634): editorial strategy and the representations of the overseas world. Amsterdam: in eigen beheer [self-management]. [Groesen’s 2007 PhD thesis, 272 pages plus approximately 100 pages of supporting material. The best reference about the de Bry firm.]

Vavra, Luke A. Exploration and Colonization of the New World 1492-1619: An Analysis of the German Editions [of] Theodore de Bry’s Part I (Virginia) 1590 and Part IV (Caribbean) 1594 of the Grands Voyages.  Self- published, 2023. [Available on this site.]

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