Portinaro, Pierluigi & Franco Knirsch, The Cartography of North America 1500-1800. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1987. ISBN 0-8160-1586-4. 32x24cm., 320pp., illustrated, cloth. (460 Park Ave. S., New York, NY 10016)

This work consists of a brief introductory essay on North American exploration, followed by 152 single and double-page illustrations, mostly in color.  The selection of maps is a bit unusual, and quite refreshing.  There is much greater emphasis on German, and especially Italian, maps.  Many of these are seldom reproduced, though they frequently appear on the market.  For example, 14 Zatta maps of North America are illustrated in color, as are 7 by Cassini.  Except for a blurred Mercator World (Plate XLVIII) and a mislabehed plate (XLV), the illustrations are excellent.  I have already had to refer to this book several times in the course of my affairs, and think that it would be a valuable addition to the reference shelf of dealers and collectors of Americana.

David C. Jolly, 1990