One of the world's first printed atlases is on sale at Bloomsbury in London for £90,000.
The atlas of the known world is an interpretation of the works of Roman mathematician, astrologer and geographer Claudius Ptolemy, who lived between 90 and 168AD.
It contains a barely recognisable representation of the British Isles, which are bent out of shape and look twice as thin as they do in reality.
It wasn’t until 1,300 years later after the process of printing developed that Ptolemy's works were turned into a printed atlas, called Cosmographia.
One rare copy of the book has now emerged for sale in London.
Roman's eye view of Britain: Map of British Isles shows ancient scholars didn't know East Anglia existed and Scotland was plotted into North Sea
The atlas is interpretation of works of Roman geographer Claudius Ptolemy
The British Isles are bent out of shape and look twice as thin as it does in reality
Claudius lived between 90-168 AD and wrote about the world’s geography in the Roman Empire
After printing was developed 1,300 years later his works were turned into a printed atlas, called Cosmographia
One rare copy of the book has now emerged for sale in London
By Jill Reilly
7 May 2014
Daily Mail
Usually the number one requirement of a map is accuracy, but one of the world’s first printed atlases - that contains a bizarre and distorted map of Britain - is on sale for £90,000.
The barely unrecognisable shape of the British Isles was an interpretation of the works of Roman mathematician, astrologer and geographer Claudius Ptolemy.
Ptolemy lived between 90-168 AD and wrote about the world’s geography in the Roman Empire.
Normally the number one requirement of a map is for it to be accurate, but one of the world's first printed atlases (that contains a bizarre and distorted map of Britain, pictured) is on sale for £90,000
The atlas is an interpretation of the works of Roman mathematician, astrologer and geographer Claudius Ptolemy
It wasn’t until 1,300 years later after the process of printing developed that Ptolemy's works were turned into a printed atlas, called Cosmographia.
One rare copy of the book has now emerged for sale in London.
On the pages that cover Britain, the outline for the coast of France, Belgium and Holland is comparatively accurate.
Yet, the British Isles are bent out of shape and look twice as thin as they do in reality.
Claudius lived between 90-168 AD and wrote about the world’s geography in the Roman Empire. It wasn’t until 1,300 years later after the process of printing developed that Claudius’ works were turned into a printed atlas, called Cosmographia
North Africa has a lot of detail, which includes Egypt and the Nile. One rare copy of the book has now emerged for sale in London
The south west of England, famous for its rugged coastline, is a rectangular shape with straight lines, while the south east from Southampton to Kent is pushed upwards at a 45 degree angle.
The rest of England is much narrower, and the east coast is where Birmingham, Nottingham and Leeds should be.
Although the Welsh coastline is recognisable, Scotland appears to have grown a large appendage that sticks out into the North Sea and spreads across to where Norway is.
Because Britain is half the size it should be, the North Sea, or Oceanus Germanicus, is twice as wide.
To the west, Ireland is reasonably accurate in terms of shape, although it is positioned further north than it ought to be.
Rupert Powell, the deputy chairman of Bloomsbury, said: 'The book was first printed in 1475 as text only and then the illustrations of the maps appeared 15 years later.
'Ptolemy’s Cosmographia was a ground-breaking treaty that challenged medieval map-making and revolutionised cartography.
'Medieval maps at the time were created to reflect the importance of landmarks and powerful cities were often disproportionately portrayed against their surroundings, irrespective of their actual size.
'Ptolemy’s Cosmographia used mathematical calculations in an attempt to create accurate representations of the land, thus changing map-making for centuries to come.
Much more information was clear at that time about Turkey. Rupert Powell, the deputy chairman of Bloomsbury, said: 'Ptolemy's Cosmographia was a ground-breaking treaty that challenged medieval map-making and revolutionised cartography'
The south western edge of the known world which purports to show Spain, Morocco Tunisia and Algeria. Ptolemy's Cosmographia was a ground-breaking treaty that challenged medieval map-making and revolutionised cartography
'This rare survivor is the fifth edition of Ptolemy’s work which is split into two parts. Book one is a thorough discussion on the geography of the Greco-Roman Empire and the second book is a compilation of maps.
'Without being able to have a bird’s eye view, it is an artist’s idea of what Britain looked like. You get a good sense of the different countries and continents.
'All 15th century books by their nature are pretty scarce, not many copies survive today.'
CHANGING SIZE OF THE WORLD OVER THE CENTURIES: DIVERSITY OF MAPS
Looking back, the diversity of maps can reveal a history of the world.
The 1507 Waldseemuller map named and envisaged America as a separate continent for the first time.
Perhaps to emphasise the independent existence of the Americas, the map shows what we now know is the Pacific lapping the western coast of South America, though its existence was only confirmed years later.
A century later the Hinese Globe, created in 1623 reveals the ancient Chinese view of the world.
A depiction of the world by Henricus Martellus. It's said that Columbus used this map or one like it to persuade Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile to support him in the early 1490s. The map was made by a German cartographer living in Florence and reflects the latest theories about the form of the world and the most accurate ways of portraying it on a flat surface
Made for the Chinese Emperor in 1623, the Hinese Globe is the earliest known Chinese terrestrial globe, and a fusion of East and Western cultures.
The creators exaggerated the size of China and placed it in the middle of a world that otherwise consisted mainly of small off-shore islands.
The biggest challenge is that it is impossible to portray the reality of the spherical world on a flat map – a problem that has haunted cartographers for centuries.
Take a look at a map today, and you’re likely to see that North America is larger than Africa, Alaska is larger than Mexico and China is smaller than Greenland.
Photo of a genuine hand drawn world map, it was drawn in 1844 and therefore the countries are named as they were in that period. The biggest challenge is that it is impossible to portray the reality of the spherical world on a flat map
A Mercator map created in 1569. In the Mercator projection, north America looks at least as big, if not slightly larger, than Africa. And Greenland also looks of comparable size
The Chinese Globe which was made for the Chinese Emperor in 1623. The creators exaggerated the size of China and placed it in the middle of a world that otherwise consisted mainly of small off shore islands
But in reality China is four times bigger than Greenland, Africa is three times bigger than North America and Mexico is larger than Alaska.
The distortion is the result of the Mercator projection, the map most commonly seen hanging in classrooms and in text books, which was created in 1596 to help sailors navigate the world.
Today, billions of searches are made on Google Maps each day, helping people navigate their way around, streets, towns and countries.
Google Maps claims that it is on a ‘never-ending quest for the perfect map’, but Jerry Brotton, historian of cartography and the author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps, isn’t so sure.
He argues that all maps are of their time, their place and serve certain purposes.
‘No world map is, or can be, a definitive, transparent depiction of its subject that offers a disembodied eye onto the world,’ he writes.
‘Each one is a continual negotiation between its makers and users, as their understanding of the world changes.’
The Mercator projection, the map most commonly seen hanging in classrooms and in text books, was created in 1596 to help sailors navigate the world. The familiar map gives the right shapes of land masses, but at the cost of distorting their sizes in favour of the wealthy lands to the north
Google Maps claims that it is on a 'never-ending quest for the perfect map', but Jerry Brotton, historian of cartography and the author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps, isn't so sure
The atlas of the known world is an interpretation of the works of Roman mathematician, astrologer and geographer Claudius Ptolemy, who lived between 90 and 168AD.
It contains a barely recognisable representation of the British Isles, which are bent out of shape and look twice as thin as they do in reality.
It wasn’t until 1,300 years later after the process of printing developed that Ptolemy's works were turned into a printed atlas, called Cosmographia.
One rare copy of the book has now emerged for sale in London.
Roman's eye view of Britain: Map of British Isles shows ancient scholars didn't know East Anglia existed and Scotland was plotted into North Sea
The atlas is interpretation of works of Roman geographer Claudius Ptolemy
The British Isles are bent out of shape and look twice as thin as it does in reality
Claudius lived between 90-168 AD and wrote about the world’s geography in the Roman Empire
After printing was developed 1,300 years later his works were turned into a printed atlas, called Cosmographia
One rare copy of the book has now emerged for sale in London
By Jill Reilly
7 May 2014
Daily Mail
Usually the number one requirement of a map is accuracy, but one of the world’s first printed atlases - that contains a bizarre and distorted map of Britain - is on sale for £90,000.
The barely unrecognisable shape of the British Isles was an interpretation of the works of Roman mathematician, astrologer and geographer Claudius Ptolemy.
Ptolemy lived between 90-168 AD and wrote about the world’s geography in the Roman Empire.
Normally the number one requirement of a map is for it to be accurate, but one of the world's first printed atlases (that contains a bizarre and distorted map of Britain, pictured) is on sale for £90,000
The atlas is an interpretation of the works of Roman mathematician, astrologer and geographer Claudius Ptolemy
It wasn’t until 1,300 years later after the process of printing developed that Ptolemy's works were turned into a printed atlas, called Cosmographia.
One rare copy of the book has now emerged for sale in London.
On the pages that cover Britain, the outline for the coast of France, Belgium and Holland is comparatively accurate.
Yet, the British Isles are bent out of shape and look twice as thin as they do in reality.
Claudius lived between 90-168 AD and wrote about the world’s geography in the Roman Empire. It wasn’t until 1,300 years later after the process of printing developed that Claudius’ works were turned into a printed atlas, called Cosmographia
The south west of England, famous for its rugged coastline, is a rectangular shape with straight lines, while the south east from Southampton to Kent is pushed upwards at a 45 degree angle.
The rest of England is much narrower, and the east coast is where Birmingham, Nottingham and Leeds should be.
Although the Welsh coastline is recognisable, Scotland appears to have grown a large appendage that sticks out into the North Sea and spreads across to where Norway is.
Because Britain is half the size it should be, the North Sea, or Oceanus Germanicus, is twice as wide.
To the west, Ireland is reasonably accurate in terms of shape, although it is positioned further north than it ought to be.
Rupert Powell, the deputy chairman of Bloomsbury, said: 'The book was first printed in 1475 as text only and then the illustrations of the maps appeared 15 years later.
'Ptolemy’s Cosmographia was a ground-breaking treaty that challenged medieval map-making and revolutionised cartography.
'Medieval maps at the time were created to reflect the importance of landmarks and powerful cities were often disproportionately portrayed against their surroundings, irrespective of their actual size.
'Ptolemy’s Cosmographia used mathematical calculations in an attempt to create accurate representations of the land, thus changing map-making for centuries to come.
The south western edge of the known world which purports to show Spain, Morocco Tunisia and Algeria. Ptolemy's Cosmographia was a ground-breaking treaty that challenged medieval map-making and revolutionised cartography
'This rare survivor is the fifth edition of Ptolemy’s work which is split into two parts. Book one is a thorough discussion on the geography of the Greco-Roman Empire and the second book is a compilation of maps.
'Without being able to have a bird’s eye view, it is an artist’s idea of what Britain looked like. You get a good sense of the different countries and continents.
'All 15th century books by their nature are pretty scarce, not many copies survive today.'
CHANGING SIZE OF THE WORLD OVER THE CENTURIES: DIVERSITY OF MAPS
Looking back, the diversity of maps can reveal a history of the world.
The 1507 Waldseemuller map named and envisaged America as a separate continent for the first time.
Perhaps to emphasise the independent existence of the Americas, the map shows what we now know is the Pacific lapping the western coast of South America, though its existence was only confirmed years later.
A century later the Hinese Globe, created in 1623 reveals the ancient Chinese view of the world.
A depiction of the world by Henricus Martellus. It's said that Columbus used this map or one like it to persuade Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile to support him in the early 1490s. The map was made by a German cartographer living in Florence and reflects the latest theories about the form of the world and the most accurate ways of portraying it on a flat surface
Made for the Chinese Emperor in 1623, the Hinese Globe is the earliest known Chinese terrestrial globe, and a fusion of East and Western cultures.
The creators exaggerated the size of China and placed it in the middle of a world that otherwise consisted mainly of small off-shore islands.
The biggest challenge is that it is impossible to portray the reality of the spherical world on a flat map – a problem that has haunted cartographers for centuries.
Take a look at a map today, and you’re likely to see that North America is larger than Africa, Alaska is larger than Mexico and China is smaller than Greenland.
Photo of a genuine hand drawn world map, it was drawn in 1844 and therefore the countries are named as they were in that period. The biggest challenge is that it is impossible to portray the reality of the spherical world on a flat map
A Mercator map created in 1569. In the Mercator projection, north America looks at least as big, if not slightly larger, than Africa. And Greenland also looks of comparable size
The Chinese Globe which was made for the Chinese Emperor in 1623. The creators exaggerated the size of China and placed it in the middle of a world that otherwise consisted mainly of small off shore islands
But in reality China is four times bigger than Greenland, Africa is three times bigger than North America and Mexico is larger than Alaska.
The distortion is the result of the Mercator projection, the map most commonly seen hanging in classrooms and in text books, which was created in 1596 to help sailors navigate the world.
Today, billions of searches are made on Google Maps each day, helping people navigate their way around, streets, towns and countries.
Google Maps claims that it is on a ‘never-ending quest for the perfect map’, but Jerry Brotton, historian of cartography and the author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps, isn’t so sure.
He argues that all maps are of their time, their place and serve certain purposes.
‘No world map is, or can be, a definitive, transparent depiction of its subject that offers a disembodied eye onto the world,’ he writes.
‘Each one is a continual negotiation between its makers and users, as their understanding of the world changes.’
The Mercator projection, the map most commonly seen hanging in classrooms and in text books, was created in 1596 to help sailors navigate the world. The familiar map gives the right shapes of land masses, but at the cost of distorting their sizes in favour of the wealthy lands to the north
Google Maps claims that it is on a 'never-ending quest for the perfect map', but Jerry Brotton, historian of cartography and the author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps, isn't so sure
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