Home / Browse / Illustrated / Cosmography, in Four Books, containing the Chorography and History of the Whole World:
HEYLYN, Peter.
Cosmography, in Four Books, containing the Chorography and History of the Whole World:
and all the Principal Kingdoms, Provinces, Seas and Isles thereof. With an Accurate and an Approved Index of all the Kingdoms, Provinces, Countries, Inhabitants, People, Cities, Mountains... Much wanted and desired in the former, and now annexed to this Last Impression, Revised and Corrected by the Author himself immediately before his Death.
Publisher: London: for P[hilip] C[hetwynde], T. Passenger, B. Tooke and T. Sawbridge, 1682
Stock code: 17764
Price: £3,500 Currency Conversion
Sixth edition, complete with the imprimatur leaf at the front. Heylyn's Cosmographie first appeared in 1652, and was sufficiently well regarded that the council of state saw fit to obtain a copy for their better instruction. The book has great value for the history of California which is described in book IV. The folding map of the western hemisphere by Henry Seile, reissued by his widow Anna, is of the Goos type, based on the 1627 Speed map, with the addition of Drake's "Nova Albion" on the northern part of the "Island" of California. It has been described as "one of the most important English maps of the second half of the 17th century." Here it is credited to Anna Seile, engraved by Robert Vaughan and dated 1663, the map of Asia is similarly ascribed but the engraver given as John Goddard. The other two maps are for Chetwynde and dated 1666, that of Africa engraved by William Trevethen.
4 volumes in one, folio (360 × 235mm). Engraved title and 4 large folding maps, Imprimatur leaf repaired at inner margin with slight loss of text on 5 lines. Slight foxing throughout, a good copy in contemporary calf, rubbed and scored in places, rebacked with the original label laid down.
