Press

The 1699 map of North America by John Thornton that sold for something like £200,000 at auction last month is back on the market: the buyer, Daniel Crouch, is bringing the map to the Miami International Map Fair this weekend, where he hopes to sell it for more than twice that price. Via MapHist.

It began with a stunning discovery last year in the attic of a Scottish estate: a previously unknown, 312 year-old hand-drawn map of Canada by John Thornton, one of the leading cartographers of 17th-century Europe.

A 17th-century map of Canada hand-drawn by John Thornton, one of the leading European cartographers of the 17th century, which was discovered under a thick layer of dust in the utility room of an old house in rural Scotland. The map is expected to be sold for more than $600,000 at a vintage map fair in Florida in February.

It began with a stunning discovery last year in the attic of a Scottish estate: a previously unknown, 312-year-old hand-drawn map of Canada by John Thornton, one of the leading cartographers of 17th-century Europe.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts unveils a major acquisition when it opens a new exhibition on paintings from Venice next Sunday.

This exceptional 17th century map, depicting settlements in Canada and North America, was unearthed by Somerset auctioneer Lawrences in the attic of The House of Glennie, near Huntly, Aberdeenshire.

The Art Market: sparkling results at Christie’s, online overload and 16th century Venice.
By Georgina Adam

An exceptional 17th century map of North America and Canada attracted international interest when it was offered at auction in Somerset (England) on January 17, by Lawrences of Crewkerne.

When thinking of likely places to find a rare piece of Canadian history, the attic of a North-east home would not seem the best spot.

A name to note for 2011, Daniel Crouch of Daniel Crouch Rare Books, who until last September worked for noted London antiquarian books and maps specialist Bernard Shapero.

In the age of the internet, with magazine and newspapers in circulation freefall and the bestsellers lists dominated by books with the biggest marketing budget behind them, the future of print is in doubt.

It is a shame, but a lot of people, myself included, question just how Great Britain is these days. Our Empire seems to have dwindled somewhat.