York Shire

A highly decorative map of Yorkshire from John Speed's Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain. Decorated with title, dedication and scale cartouches, a compass rose, coat of arms and a galleon. English text on verso.

Excellent, in beautiful colours.

John Speed was born 1552 at Farndon in Cheshire. First followed his father trade as a tailor until the age of fifty. His real profession was from early age map making an historian as an amateur, and he focused on this with the help of Sir Fulke Greville. As source for his maps, Speed used material from Saxton and Norden, but he also considered up-to-date material especially for the inset town plans on his maps. The maps have been engraved by Jodocus Hondius in Amsterdam and shipped back to London for printing. The first edition of his Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain came to sale 1610-11 and was re-issued until 1770. In 1627 he published A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World, the first World Atlas produced by an Englishman. Re-issues have been published until 1676.