Claude Barthélemy Morisot (1592-1661) was a leading intellectual of his day. This map is from the ‘Orbis maritimi sive rerum in mari et littoribus gestarum generalis historia’, his best work and the first comprehensive book on naval history. Amongst the maps engraved to illustrate it is this one of the African continent. A rare early map of the continent, it is printed on a sheet with Latin text above and below the map and a full page of text on the verso. The European expeditions to the coasts of Africa and North America were extensively described. The map extends only to central Africa with the Mountains of the Moon. The source of the River Nile is located adjacent to the Montes Lunae, just south of the equator. Embellished with a large title cartouche lower left. Alden, J. 643/85; Mickwitz ‘The A. E. Nordenskiöld Collection’ no. 152; Sabin, J. 50723; Shirley, R.W. (BL Atlases) G.MORI-1a. Not in Norwich or Tooley!