A highly decorative carte-a-figures map of the Asian Continent. Cartographic detail includes the Dutch discoveries made by Abel Tasman in Australasia & Maarten Vries to the north of Japan. Native figures form the side borders and six town plans form the upper border, they include; Ormus, Aden, Jerusalem and Damascus.

A fine map of Ancient Asia, this edition carries the date 1667. Nicolas Sanson was instrumental in the rise of French cartography, although the fierce competition from the Dutch would last until the end of the 17th century. His success was partly due to the partnership with the publisher Pierre Mariette. In 1644, Mariette managed to purchase the business of Melchior Tavernier and also gave Sanson financial support in producing the maps. In 1657 Pierre Marriette died, however his son, also named Pierre, continued the business as co-publisher for some years afterwards.

One of the most decorative maps of the whole continent available. The top set of vignettes include Goa, Damascus, Jerusalem, Aden and Macao.

A very decorative map of Asia, first published 1631.

An attractive and well detailed steel plate engraving of Asia with further engraved vignettes including views of Petra, Tartars, Russian Peasants and indigenous fauna. John Tallis is without question one of the most renowned cartographers and publisher of the C19th. His maps are the last of the lavishly decorated and ornamental maps, considered to be works of art as well as geographically accurate. He was born in Stourbridge in Worcestershire in about 1818 and it is likely that he stayed in the Midlands working as a publisher in Birmingham, until he moved to London in the early 1840′s.

A steel engraving, with finely engraved vignette borders with ten costume vignettes.

One of the earliest maps of China printed in Europe and the first map to begin to show the emergence of Korea. The map is one of rarest maps of China from the seventeenth century as it was only printed once and included in De Jode's revised atlas. This map is only the third western map of China, based on the Barbuda model, but in a north-south orientation. Presumably derived from Jesuit sources, it also shows NE Tartary and parts of middle Asia, although de Jode also acknowledges Juan Gonzalez de Mendoza and Giovanni Pietro de Maffei as sources for the map. It also shows parts of NE Asia and Japan. The whole map is enclosed within a central circle. Surrounding the circle is an ornate strap work design and in the four spandrels vignettes show how Europeans imagined Chinese and Japanese people to live. They represent some of the earliest depictions of Chinese and Japanese life printed in Europe. In the upper left is a man fishing with a cormorant. In the lower left, a three-headed man is being worshipped by two men. In the lower right, a sailing waggon; similar images later appeared on maps by Hondius and Speed. Finally, in the upper right, a house boat complete with a working chimney and a duck enclosure floats on calm waters.

A German postcard map of Asia, showing fans, a Chinaman and a pergoda. Postmarked 1900, with stamp.

From the third edition of Ptolemy's geography published at Strassburg, edited by Laurentius Fries. A slightly reduced version of Martin Waldseemüller's map of 1513. The 'modern' map of Asia, with no title, shows part of the Arabian Peninsular, India and the Malaysian Peninsular. The Latin text on the verso is accompanied by a superb woodcut - said to be the work of Albrecht Dürer.