"A Mapp of ye Kingdome of Tartary By Monsieur Sanson", Blome, Richard

This is a scarce English map of Tartary covering the region from the Caspian Sea to the Pacific coast, here called The Tartarian Sea. It was engraved by Thomas Burnford after the map by Nicolas Sanson. The map first appeared in Blome's Geographical Description of the Four Parts of the World; in this second state, the original title has been erased and replaced by a much shorter version and the dedication has been replaced by one to Sir James Shaen of Shyne (Sheen) in Surrey. Evidence of the changes are very evident in the cartouches.

It was common practice during this period to finance publishing projects by soliciting sponsorship from wealthy patrons and dedicating maps to these sponsors. Blome, took the practice to the extreme by selling the sponsorships yet again for subsequent editions. Thus, many of Blome's maps are known in several different states, with the change being a new dedication. Richard Blome was one of the most interesting, and most active, publishers of illustrated books in post-Restoration London. There is an excellent biography on MapForum.com.

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Condition: A

Crisp impression and lovely old color. Lower right corner has been torn off and reattached, not affecting map, but touching platemark.