Sebastian Munster

Schonlandia XIII Nova Tabula [1st Map of Scandinavia]

      Munster's map of Scandinavia is the earliest obtainable printed map of Scandinavia and appeared in only 2 editions of Munster's Geographia, making it both rare and highly sought after among collectors. This map is derived from the Jacob Ziegler of 1532. It covers mainly Scandinavia but shows the land called Terra nova sive de Bacolhos in the top left. ,The map shows an interesting blend of cartographic information and illustrations to explain indigeous people, flora and fauna, including tents and animals. The map suggests a continuous land bridge from Scandinavia to America, via Greenland to the Terra novae sive de Bacolhos (New Land of Codfish). It is unchanged from the 1540 edition, except for minor text changes and the addition of a printer's device in the title. Munster's Geographia was a cartographic landmark, including not only Ptolemaic maps, but also a number of landmark modern maps, including the first separate maps of the 4 continents, the first map of England and the earliest obtainable map of Scandinavia. Munster dominated cartographic publication during the mid-16th Century. Munster is generally regarded as one of the three most important map makers of the 16th Century, along with Ortelius and Mercator. Munster was a linguist and mathematician, who initially taught Hebrew in Heidelberg. He issued his first mapping of Germany in 1529, after which he issued a call geographical information about Germany to scholars throughout the country. The response was better than hoped for, and included substantial foreign material, which supplied him with up to date, if not necessarily accurate maps for the issuance of his Geographia in 1540. (Basle, 1542) [color: Uncolored, size: 13.5 x 10 inches, condition: VG+]