[Maps & Atlases] (Speed, John). A New and Accurat Map of the World Drawne according to ye truest Descriptions latest Discoueries & best Observations yt have beene made by English or Strangers

(London): George Humble, (1627). First state. Engraved hand-colored world map by John Speed, from his atlas A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World. 15 1/4 x 20 1/8 in. (387 x 511 mm). English text on verso. Illustrated with representations of Water, Earth, Air and Fire, portraits of Ferdinand Magellan, Oliver vander Noort, Thomas Cavendish, and Sir Francis Drake, as well as vignettes of the Zodiac, comments on the Straits of Magellan, Sir Francis Drake, and more. Creasing from old folds; a few scattered stains; margins reinforced with archival strips; repaired chip in top right edge. In mat and in frame, 22 1/4 x 27 in. (565 x 686 mm). Shirley 317; Tooley, p. 113

Rare first state of John Speed's double hemisphere world map. One of the first world maps of its kind printed with English text, and one of the first to depict California as an island. "The idea of California as an island is supposed to have originated with a Carmelite Friar...possibly on a misconception of the reports of Spanish navigators... It was, however, in England that the mapping of California as an island was first popularised. The first in the field was Henry Briggs... This was copied by John Speed in 1626-27..." (Tooley, p. 110).

Other curious geographic details include the Korean peninsula appearing as an island, the Northwestern coast of North America is labelled with conjectural names, the vast "Southerne Unknowne Land", the city of Manoa ("El Dorado") in South America, and the phantom island of Frisland off the coast of Iceland.

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

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Darren Winston, Senior Vice President at Freeman’s, has served as Head of Department for Books & Manuscripts, Philadelphia, since 2018. He has been a trustee of the Rosenbach Museum and Library since 2022, is a member of The Manuscript Society, The Bibliographical Society of America, and Philadelphia’s Philobiblon Club.

Raised in northern New Jersey, Darren moved to New York City in 1988 and began his career there as a bookseller in 1995. He spent the next 18 years selling to private clients and at East Coast book fairs. In 2003 he moved with his young family to Sharon, Connecticut where, in 2009, he opened his own bookshop. Darren Winston, Bookseller offered rare and vintage books, prints, fine art, and more, and hosted over 50 book signings and art shows. He was a trustee and, later, Board President, of the Sharon Historical Society, and for six years a trustee of Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Darren has hosted the radio program "Darren Winston's Book Report" for NPR-affiliate WHDD since 2009, appeared in the 2014 book-themed documentary The Paper Trail, and in 2024 he joined Antiques Roadshow as a books and manuscripts appraiser. From 1999 to 2005, Darren was the buyer and consultant to the Fine and Rare Books Department at Asprey, the British luxury goods company, at its New York headquarters. While there he spearheaded various in-store events including readings by Salman Rushdie and Dominick Dunne.

In 1993, Darren was hired as a Creative Consultant to Columbia Records, where he assisted in the repackaging of their 12-record Aerosmith back catalogue. He later sold his extensive collection of Aerosmith memorabilia, which he began amassing at the age of 14, directly to the band.

Darren now lives on the Main Line, outside Philadelphia, with his wife, two children, and dog. The family travels frequently to his wife's native England and Scotland. When not bookselling, he plays guitar in Pumped, an Aerosmith tribute band. Darren also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Books and Manuscripts

[Maps & Atlases] (Speed, John). A New and Accurat Map of the World Drawne according to ye truest Descriptions latest Discoueries & best Observations yt have beene made by English or Strangers

Books and Manuscripts

[Maps & Atlases] (Speed, John). A New and Accurat Map of the World Drawne according to ye truest Descriptions latest Discoueries & best Observations yt have beene made by English or Strangers

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