This extremely rare map of the northern Pacific region by Grigorii Shelikov displays in great detail the Russian discoveries along the north-west coast of America. Shelikov was one of the founders of the Russian American Company in 1799. The map shows the very latest Russian intelligence in the region. Following Catherine the Great’s ascent to power in 1762 there was renewed activity in strengthening the Russian Navy and its position in the Pacific waters. There followed Lieutenant Ivan Sindt in 1764, Petr Krenitsyn and Mikhail Levashev in the late 1760s. The latter charted much of the Aleutian Islands and the western portion of the Alaskan peninsula. From 1774-79 Potap Zaikov explored the Aleutian Islands further. Following his meeting with Cook in 1778 Gerasim Ismailov explored the region even more in the 1780s along with Dimitrii Bocharov and Shelikov himself, the track of the voyage is shown. This map is the result of all this knowledge and was intended to promote trading in the region.

A superb large scale inset of Kodiak Island at the entrance to Cook Inlet is orientated to the west. This is featured as it was the site of the first permanent Russian settlement in North America. A prominent Lake Athabascka is shown in the north west. The title above is decorated with a very fine cartouche. Kershaw cites only the example at Yale University. David, Andrew ‘Russian Charts and Captain Cook’s third voyage’, in ‘The Map Collector’ no. 52 pp. 2-6; Falk (1983) 1787-2; Hayes ‘Historical Atlas of the North Pacific Ocean’ pp. 83-4; Kershaw 1147; not in Wagner.