Moreland, Carl & David Bannister, Antique Maps, a Collector's Handbook. London & New York: Longmans, 1983. ISBN 0-582-50306-X. 25x19 cm., 314 pp., cloth.  ($70)

As the title implies, this book is specifically for collectors.  Unlike a few other books of this genre, Moreland & Bannister have clearly spent a good deal of effort to compile information useful to the average collector.  The book is organized into three sections: Map Making, Map Makers, and Map Collecting.  The first section gives a general history of mapping, including an enjoyable chapter on myths & legends on old maps.  I cannot fathom why one chapter was devoted to the map in the Hereford Cathedral, as only the most daring of collectors could ever hope to possess it.  The second section is organized by country, each chapter containing an introductory essay on the history of cartography in that country or region, followed by brief biographies of individual mapmakers.  There is a happy departure from the tendency of such books to read like the minutes of the Anglo-Dutch Mutual Admiration Society.  Helpful information is provided on Germanic cartographers such as Bodenehr, von Reilly, Weigel, etc.  Also included is an extensive chapter on Italian cartography.  There is even information, although somewhat sketchy in places, on mapping in Portugal, Spain, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Russia, and Poland.  Several chapters cover the mapping of regions, including the British Isles and several parts of the world.  The final part of the book provides general advice to collectors.

The illustrations are well done, and well selected, since they are almost all maps which the collector can find on the market.  There are eight color reproductions, including the George Lily map of the British Isles.  Overall, this is a fine book, marred by only a few inconsistencies.  For example, in a listing of famous maps by Italians, the title of the Zaltieri North America map is given in English translation while no other titles are translated.  A possible drawback is the emphasis on European cartography.  The American collector may not find enough useful information to justify the steep price.  However, one must keep the price in perspective.  Nowadays, $70 hardly buys much of a map.  This book is a necessity for all dealers, and for serious collectors who already have a copy of Tooley and would like another general reference.

David C. Jolly, 1985

(For a short review of a later edition, click here.)