One of the Rare Antique Maps Published Exclusively by a Woman

"Americae Nova Descriptio", Seile, Anae

This map of the Americas is based on Henry Seile's map of 1652 (Anae's husband). For unknown reasons, after Henry's death his plates passed to his business partner, Philip Chetwind. Lacking the original plates, Anae enlisted Robert Vaughan to engrave this new plate for her own publication of Heylin's Cosmography. Therefore, this is one of the few maps published exclusively by a woman, with her own imprint. The map is very similar to the earlier map, although the nomenclature of the Delaware River, Carolina, and several places on the west coast have been changed. It depicts California as an Island and features no Great Lakes. The region west of New Mexico is labeled Quivira, and the mythical city of Cibola is identfied. In South America, two spurious lakes, Parime and Eupana, are located. The phantom islands of Frisland, I. dos Demonias, and Brasil appear in the North Atlantic. The map is decorated with a title cartouche, sea monsters, and sailing ships.

References: Burden #379; McLaughlin #35; Tooley (America) p.115, #12.

Condition: B

Issued folding, now flat, on a sheet with a fleur-de-lis coat of arms watermark. Along the centerfold are short professionally repaired separations and light toning. There are some printer's creases, light soiling, and a couple small professionally repaired chips in an unengraved area at bottom right. A small section of the border and neatline at bottom left has been replaced in facsimile.