Berry

Best.-Nr. 11121 — London: 1681. No binding. Fair. 570 x 890 mm. early outline and more recent wash colour with a wormhole repaired lower centrefold along with some in the lower margin otherwise in good condition. An extremely rare English map of South America. In September 1678 Robert Morden fl. 1669 d. 1703 and William Berry 1639-1718 petitioned the crown for ""a licence to do all general and particular maps of the several parts of the world according to an alphabeticall manner"". Morden's connection with what appears to be the birth of the folio atlas is not heard of again. Berry began publishing a series of large two sheet maps with a group of the world and continents advertised in the 'London Gazette' from 1-5 July 1680. The world is also announced in the 'Term Catalogues' for the summer of that year … The advert in the 'London Gazette' states ""There is now to be published six maps newly graved ."" indicating that they were not ready yet."" Burden. Through much of the 1680s Berry published nearly forty maps sufficient the world. From the late 1680s he offered them bound together as a collection of maps with no title examples of which are very rare. Examples are known in the British Library the Library of Congress and the National Maritime Museum Greenwich. Cartographically the South American map is drawn directly from that of Alexis-Hubert Jaillot 1674. His map was in turn derived from Nicolas Sanson's geography who is here recognised in the running title above 'Described by Sanson Corrected and amended By William Berry'. Sanson had far more of a reputation in cartographic circles than Jaillot so it is natural that Berry would draw on his name. The map displays and intricate network supplying the Amazon River including a mutual source with the Orinoco River. The presence of Lake Parime is still not disproven. The engraver of the map is not known although it bears many of the hallmarks of Herman Moll. If his work it would be one of his earliest known. Provenance: Jonathan Potter 1997; Juan and Peggy Rada Collection. Phillips 1909- no. 3442; Rostenberg 1963 pp. 68-74; Shirley 2004 T.Berr-1a no. 37; Tooley 1949 p. 53; Tyacke 1973 p. 76/ Tyacke 1978 no. 100 & pp. 109-10. 1681 unknown