Historical, antiquarian maps by mail order.

A prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World
'MINIATURE SPEED' MAPS - 1668
Van Den Keere after John Speed

This Page is provided as a REFERENCE RESOURCE - it is NOT an Inventory.
After very many years in the Trade, we are now retired and the Postaprint Website as such is no longer available.
However this large collection of Reference Pages is being left on line, as we hope you will find them to informative and helpful. They provide details of many of the maps, books and engravings we had the pleasure of dealing in over so many years.
My wife's store on eBay offers many delightful antiquarian maps & prints & engravings.
For a complete  index of all such Reference Pages PLEASE DO CLICK HERE..

A Brief History of John Speed's (1552 - 1629) Career

John Speed was born in Cheshire, Britain. His father was a tailor, a trade that Speed followed until his 50's. As a cartographer he was merely an amateur.
He fathered twelve sons and six daughters. Moved to London where he continued to trade as a tailor. He made maps for the Society of Antiquaries (of which he was a member), the Company of Merchant Tailors (for whom he was a Freeman) and Queen Elizabeth (who allowed him to use a room in the Custom House).

Speed's maps were known to be relatively accurate (compared to the competition at the time) and therefore became desirable. Their popularity was in no small measure due to the engraving skill of Hondius, whose talents created very decorative cartographic 'gems'. The chief appeal of these maps was as much in their accuracy, as in their appearance. Perhaps the design would have become cluttered with the roads that they lacked. However, he showed important buildings, towns and cities, mountains and rivers. All of this contributed to the beauty of these collectable folio size maps.

Speed's maps mark an important landmark in British map-making and set a high standard for others to follow. With modern techniques maps have become more accurate but they are not as beautiful as John Speed's creations. This alone denotes their popularity, even today.

In 1627, John Speed produced 'A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World' which became the first atlas of the World to be produced by an Englishman.

John Speed's skill and eye for detail have contributed to the fact that the maps are highly collectable today. Also, due to the fact that they were created over 400 years ago, they depict areas of land that would appear to have altered over time, for example: California is shown as an island (as it was believed to be at the time), instead part of the mainland of the United States. Such interesting cartographic inaccuracies, add to the charm of the maps.

The maps shown below are not all 'Speed' maps, they are mainly taken from modified engravings by Pieter Van Den Keere (1571-1646). He came from Amsterdam, working in London between 1584 and 1593. He was brother-in-law of Hondius.

[Sometimes he signed his Maps as KAERIUS. KEER. COERIUS].

These maps were in the possession of Speed's publishers when they produced the larger 'Prospect' and were released with text taken from 'A Prospect...'. They have become known as 'Miniature Speeds'. 40 of the plates listed below were reworked from the original Van Den Keere etchings and 16 were reduced from the larger Speed atlas.

THIS IS A LIST OF MINIATURE MAPS BY VAN DEN KEERE/SPEED.
Click any underlined text to view the scanned image.

WORLD TWIN-HEMI
ASIA CONTINENT: Japan is very mis-shaped.
AFRICA CONTINENT: Equator. Tropic of Cancer etc Rare shown. Includes Madagascar & many Indian islands.
EUROPE CONTINENT: Shows parts of Africa. Greenland, Iceland and Asia.
USA AMERICAS: California an island. Shows Equator and Tropics.
GREECE GENERAL MAP: Includes Crete, Macedonia and Lower Mysia. Shows Mountain Ranges. Aegean
ITALY ROMAN EMPIRE: The map extends from the British Isles - which are mis-shaped - to Europe. North Africa. Greece. Middle East. Israel. Egypt etc. Onwards through Israel to Mesopotamia. Iraq. Persian Gulf.
GERMANY GENERAL MAP:
CZECH BOHEMIA: Includes parts of Moravia, Bavaria and Voteland.
FRANCE GENERAL MAP: Includes parts of Germany and England. English Channel as 'The British Ocean' (Ythe Channel).
BENELUX GENERAL MAP: 'A New Mape of ye XVII Provinces of Low Germany'. Includes the Netherlands, Holland, Belgium Etc.
SPAIN PENINSULA: Bay of Biscay as Bicaien Sea. Includes Straits of Gibraltar, Majorca, Balearics Etc.
ITALY GENERAL MAP: Includes Sardinia, Corsica and parts of Sicily, France, Germany, Albania, and Yugoslavia.
HUNGARY GENERAL MAP: Includes parts of Moravia, Austria, Transylvania and Danube.
DENMARK GENERAL MAP: Includes Zealand and parts of Southern Sweden.
POLAND GENERAL MAP: Includes Prussia and parts of Russia, Lithuania and Bohemia.
PERSIA GENERAL MAP: Includes parts of the Turkish Empire, Tartary, Indoostan, Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.
TURKEY EMPIRE: Includes parts of The Red Sea, Persia, Arabia, Africa, Gulf, Caspian and Black Seas, South Italy and Greece etc.
CHINA GENERAL MAP: Includes Korea (Corea) and parts of Indoostan, Tartary, Japan and the North West tip of America.
CHINA TARTARY: The map extends from the Pacific to parts of Europe and the tip of North West America.

BR.ISLES Includes parts of Germany, France and Norway. North Sea as 'Oceanus Germanicus'. Ireland mis-shaped.
ENGLAND/WALES Includes part of Ireland. North Sea as 'The German Ocean'.
KENT Includes part of Sussex.
SUSSEX Includes parts of Surrey and Kent. English Channel as 'British sea'.
SURREY Includes parts of Hants, Kent, Mddx and Sussex.
HANTS Shown as Southampton. Includes parts of Isle of Wight, Wilts, Sussex and Dorset.
I.O.WIGHT Shows the English Channel as the 'British Sea'. Includes parts of south Hants.
DORSET Shows parts of Wilts and Somt.
DEVON Includes parts of Somt. and Cornwall.
CORNWALL
SOMT Includes parts of Wilts, Dorset and Devon.
WILTS Includes parts of Somt, Hants and Glos.
BERKS Includes parts of Bucks, Wilts, Oxon, Surrey and Hants.
MDDX Includes parts of Bucks, Berks, Essex, Herts, Surrey and London.
ESSEX Includes part of Herts.
SUFFOLK Includes parts of Norfolk and Essex.
NORFOLK
CAMBS Includes parts of Hunts, Norfolk, Suffolk and Beds.
HERTS Includes parts of Beds, Essex and Bucks. Shown as 'Hartfordeshire'.
BEDS Includes parts of Northants, Hunts, Cambs. and Bucks.
BUCKS Includes parts of Northants, Oxon, Beds, Herts. and Mddx.
OXON Includes parts of Warcs, Glos, Bucks. and Berks.
GLOS Includes parts of Monmouth, Oxon, Wilts. and the Bristol Channel.
HEREFORD Includes parts of Brecon, Glos. and Radnor.
WORCS Includes parts of Warcs, Staffs, Hereford and Oxon.
WARCS Includes parts of Worcs, Glos. and Northants.
NORTHANTS Includes parts of Cambs, Leics, Warcs, Hunts. and Beds.
HUNTS Includes parts of Northants, Cambs and the Isle of Ely.
RUTLAND Includes parts of Leics, Lincs. and Northants.
LEICS Includes parts of Derbys, Rutland, Warcs. and Northants.
LINCS Includes parts of Yorks. and Norfolk. North Sea as 'Germaine Sea'. The Wash.
NOTTS Includes parts of Yorkshire, Derbys and Lincs.
DERBYS Shown as 'Darbyshire'. Includes parts of Staffs, Cheshire, Lancs, Notts. and Leics.
STAFFS Includes parts of Derbys, Warcs, Leics, Cheshire and Shrops.
SHROPS Includes parts of Denbigh, Montgomery, Worcs. and Staffs.
CHESHIRE Shown as 'Chester'. Includes parts of Flint, Staffs, Lancs, Denbigh and Derbys.
LANCS Shown as 'Lancaster'. Includes part of Derbys. Shows South Cumbria, Walney Island Etc.
YORKSHIRE Includes the North, West and East Riding. Parts of Lincs, Westmlnd. and Lancs.
DURHAM Includes parts of Northumbs. and Westmlnd.
CUMBS Includes Westmlnd. Cumbs shown as 'Comberlad'. Includes part of Scotland, Lakes Etc.
NORTHUMBS Includes part of Scotland.
I.O.MAN Includes parts of Scotland, England and Ireland. Decorative, Ship.
CHANNEL ISLANDS Guernsey, Jersey, Holy Island and Farne. Shows North Sea as 'German Ocean'. Includes Great Sark and Karne. Guernsey as 'Garnsey'. Jersey as 'Iarsey'.
WALES GENERAL MAP: Includes parts of Ireland, Cheshire, Shrops, Hereford and Glos. Very decorative compass rose.
WALES PEMBROKE: Includes parts of Carmarthen.
WALES RADNOR, BRECON Etc: Includes Cardigan and Carmarthen. Parts of Shrops, Pembroke, Glamorgan and Monmouth.
WALES GLAMORGAN: Includes parts of Carmarthen and Monmouth.
MONMOUTH Includes parts of Brecknoc, Glamorgan, Glos, Bristol Channel and the Severn.
WALES MONTGOMERY/MERIONETH: Includes parts of Carnarven, Denbigh and Cardigan.
WALES FLINT/DENBIGH: Includes parts of Merioneth, Cheshire, Carnarvan and Montgomery.
WALES ANGLESEY/CARNARVEN: Includes parts of Denbigh and Merioneth.
SCOTLAND GENERAL MAP: Includes parts of Ireland and England.
SCOTLAND SOUTH: Shows Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Glasgow. Includes parts of Northumbs. and Cumbs.
SCOTLAND SOUTH WEST: 'The Southern parte of Scotland wherin is ye Strange Lake Lomind' (Lomond).
SCOTLAND ABERDEEN/E. Scotland: Includes part of Caithness.
SCOTLAND N. W: Sutherland/Skye: Inhabitance of Stratnauerne with his borderers.
SCOTLAND HEBRIDES:
SCOTLAND ORKNEYS: 'Cathanes and Orknay ins'. (Caithness).
IRELAND GENERAL MAP: Includes parts of England and Scotland.
IRELAND MUNSTER
IRELAND LEINSTER: 'Linster'. Includes Cork.
IRELAND CONNAUGHT: 'Connack'. Includes Galway.
IRELAND ULSTER

My name is Julie Bennett and I recently retired to the Bahamas after a career in education in England.

Jacques Bossuet (1627 - 1704), the French Bishop & author, wrote that Geography is one of the principal eyes of History. Such is the fascination of old, historical maps & engravings, that before emigrating, it became my hobby to offer antiquarian items on eBay & I have decided to resume, hoping to make yet more new friends.

My offers include a range of collectables, from decorative fine art, topographical views, pictures and lithographs to rare, scarce vintage ancient & classical county and country maps, historic town and city plans, books and atlases. I offer many examples of famous artists work and of the engravers art through the centuries. You will also find cartography from leading mapmakers, geographical topography, memorabilia & other geographic ephemera for collectors, interior designers & decorators, genealogy researchers as well as retail trade customers and frame shops.
Antique maps and prints make unusual & interesting gift ideas and presents, for birthday, anniversary, children or just for your own collection & pleasure, be it for home wall decor, den, nursery or office presentations!
Ideal for framing.

POSTAPRINT: Specialist mail order suppliers of collectible historical antique maps and engravings.