The FIRST EDITION of Tomaso Porcacchi’s ‘L’Isole piu Famose del Mondo’. It is printed by Simone Galignani and the engraver Girolamo Porro. This work is classed as an ‘Isolario’ a term used to define an atlas of largely island maps. The tradition of the Isolario began in the Mediterranean Sea and the first printed one appeared at the hands of Bartolommeo dalli Sonetti in c.1485. This was followed by the notable works of Benedetto Bordone in 1528 and Porcacchi.

The American section begins on page 101, which includes Porro’s fine map of North America entitled ‘Mondo Nuovo’ derived from the extremely rare and important Paolo Forlani map of the same printed in 1565 in Venice. It was the first printed map of North America and through this work by Porcacchi reached a wide audience. The Forlani is also the earliest map available to depict the Straits of Anian. Further interesting maps include one of Temistitan before its destruction by the Spanish. The atlas also includes a map of the East Indies ‘Isole Molucche’. The book concludes with two world maps at the end, one oval ‘a finely-executed reduction of Camocio’s large world map of 1567 [&] a nautical map covering most of the world’ (Shirley). Both depict a large southern continent. The text here provides brief details of navigation with some detail on the winds and currents of the world. Provenance: Christies South Kensington 18 June 2013 lot 58. Adams (1967) P-1904; Burden (1996-2007) 42; Nordenskiold Collection (1979) 185; Phillips (1909-) 166; Sabin (1868) 64148; Shirley (1984) nos. 127-28; Shirley (2004) T.Por 1b; Tolias (2007) pp. 271-2; USTC 850883.