"Septentrionalium Terrarum descriptio", Mercator, Gerard

This influential map was the first devoted to the Arctic. The hemisphere is surrounded by a floral design with four roundels in each corner. These contain the title, the Faeroe Isles, the Shetland Isles, and the mythical island of Frisland. The North Pole is shown according to legend as a large rock in a giant whirlpool and surrounded by four islands that are separated by rivers. The magnetic north is depicted as a separate island rock just outside the polar mass. In North America is an very early reference to California (California regio, sola fama Hispanis nota), curiously shown north of the El streto de Anian. The map depicts the attempts of Frobisher and Davis to locate the northern passages to Asia. Second state of the plate with updates in the region north of Russia including undefined coastlines to one of the islands surrounding the pole and Nova Zemla . Dutch text on verso.

References: Burden #88; Kershaw #24.

Condition: A

Professional minor repair on bottom centerfold. Slight show-through of text on verso.