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A striking dark impression of this scarce map of Asia, the earliest folio-size map of Asia to be engraved and printed in England.
The map demonstrates the naïve engraving style characteristic of 17th Century English engravers and features an elaborate heraldic cartouche and a dedication to the "Rt Noble Christopher Duke of Albemarle Earle of Torington, Baron Monk of Potheridge, Beauchamp and Teys, Kt of ye most noble order of ye Garter, lord Leiutenant of Devonshire & Essex, Captaine of his Matys Guards of Horse, one of ye Gentlemen of his Bed Chamber, & one of ye Lords of his most Honbl Privy Council . . . " It includes many sailing ships and sea monsters.
Blome's maps, because of their rarity and importance in the history of English Cartography, are essential items for regional collectors. Blome first began engraving maps for his Geographical Description Of The Four Parts Of The World in 1667. The completed volume was in small folio and contained 24 maps (plus one duplicated), engraved by Francis Lamb, Thomas Burnford and Wenceslas Hollar. Blome's principal handicap in the production of the atlas was the lack of a domestic mapmaking environment comparable with that in Europe. Also, to finance his work, he undertook subscribers, in exchange for a promise to add their coat of arms to certain maps. In later editions, if the renewal fee was not paid, Blome added a different subscriber's coat of arms, leading to multiple images on various editions of the same map.
![I. a [Asia]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/93297.jpg)
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