An extremely rare English map of South America. In September 1678 Robert Morden (fl. 1669, d. 1703) and William Berry (1639-1718) petitioned the crown for “a licence to do all general and particular maps of the several parts of the world according to an alphabeticall manner”. Morden’s connection with what appears to be the birth of the folio atlas is not heard of again. Berry began publishing a series of large two sheet maps with a group of the world and continents advertised in the ‘London Gazette’, from 1-5 July 1680. The world is also announced in the ‘Term Catalogues’ for the summer of that year … The advert in the ‘London Gazette’ states “There is now to be published six maps newly graved …”, indicating that they were not ready yet.” (Burden). Through much of the 1680s Berry published nearly forty maps, sufficient the world. From the late 1680s he offered them bound together as a collection of maps with no title, examples of which are very rare. Examples are known in the British Library, the Library of Congress and the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

Cartographically the South American map is drawn directly from that of Alexis-Hubert Jaillot, 1674. His map was, in turn, derived from Nicolas Sanson’s geography, who is here recognised in the running title above, ‘Described by Sanson Corrected and amended By William Berry’. Sanson had far more of a reputation in cartographic circles than Jaillot so it is natural that Berry would draw on his name. The map displays and intricate network supplying the Amazon River including a mutual source with the Orinoco River. The presence of Lake Parime is still not disproven. The engraver of the map is not known although it bears many of the hallmarks of Herman Moll. If his work, it would be one of his earliest known. Provenance: Jonathan Potter 1997; Juan and Peggy Rada Collection. Phillips (1909-) no. 3442; Rostenberg (1963) pp. 68-74; Shirley (2004) T.Berr-1a no. 37; Tooley (1949) p. 53; Tyacke (1973) p. 76/ Tyacke (1978) no. 100 & pp. 109-10.