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Early Caribbean Maps: A Research Collection

Posted on February 19, 2012

Bill Found, Professor Emeritus of Geography at York University [Canada], sent us the following message — below his note I have copied the text of the introductory page at the referenced URL.

I’ve been visiting world libraries over the past 30 years, putting together a collection of copies of selected early Caribbean maps (most of individual islands). I’ve found these to be very useful research tools, so I’ve placed them in the York University Archives for others to consult. The York Library has just posted a 90-page description of the 141 maps in the collection (with thumbnails), a text that explains how others can obtain their own copies directly from relevant sources (usually libraries).

I think that the collection would be of interest to some on the IRF distribution lists, since the maps include so much information regarding both the natural and cultural worlds between the late 16th and the early 19th centuries. Here’s the link:

http://hdl.handle.net/10315/13674

All the best,

Bill

Wm. (Bill) C. Found, Ph.D., F.D.h.c.
University Professor Emeritus
York University
45 Geraldton Crescent
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2J 2R5

A research collection of historical maps and prints of the Caribbean Islands. Part 1: photographic prints, photocopies and facsimiles

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Title: A research collection of historical maps and prints of the Caribbean Islands. Part 1: photographic prints, photocopies and facsimiles

Author:Found, William C.

Abstract:Part 1 of the collection of historical Caribbean maps and prints is composed of facsimiles, photographic copies, and photocopies of originals, acquired over a period of approximately 30 years (beginning in 1980). All of the copies were selected for research purposes, primarily for my research on the “Making of the Caribbean Landscape”. The bulk of the copies were purchased from libraries, with the legal understanding that the maps/prints were to be used for personal research – and that duplication or publishing of the items could occur only with the full, written agreement of the library in question. Consequently, the maps/prints in this collection may not be copied. In this report, however, I provide full information regarding each item (if available) so that anyone who wants to obtain a personal copy may do so by contacting a relevant library or map/print dealer. If available, I provide information from the British Library since the on-line ordering of copies from that library is particularly expeditious. The copies in this collection will be available for study in the York University Archives.

Description:Most of the items in the collection are maps of individual Caribbean islands, dating from the late 16th to the early 19th centuries. The bulk of the maps are from the 1700s. Seventeen maps cover groups of Caribbean islands, focusing on islands in different parts of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The collection also includes a number of prints of engravings, often based on drawings by military artists, depicting a variety of Caribbean locales. All of the documents were selected and purchased during personal research visits to libraries and other outlets. The copies of maps (printed and manuscript) and prints were obtained from the following libraries: Bibliotèque Nationale de France, British Library, Harvard University, McGill University, National Archives and National Library of The Netherlands, National Library of Jamaica, National Maritime Museum (Greenwich), Royal Geographical Society (London), Royal Tropical Institute (Amsterdam), Uppsalla University, University of Amsterdam, University of Florida, University of Leiden, and the University of Utrecht. The facsimile copies of maps and engravings were all purchased in the Caribbean islands at a variety of outlets in several Caribbean countries. A number of items were acquired at the shops of the Brimstone Hill Fortress Museum (St. Kitts), the National Museum of Barbados, and the St. Eustatius Historical Society Museum. 2 The largest single source within libraries is the King’s Topographic Collection at the British Library, a magnificent collection of maps and engravings collected by King George III. This collection, eventually donated to the British Museum by King George IV, forms an important core of the British Library’s map section.

Type:Other

URL:http://hdl.handle.net/10315/13674
Date:2011-10-13

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