Nouveau Continent avec plusieurs isles; New Continent with several islands

Frankfurt: Jan David Zunner, 1684. Engraving. Image measures 5 3/4 x 4 inches.

Early depiction of the Americas showing California as an island. Great Lakes not yet noted and the coast of New Zealand noted. First German edition by Jan David Zunner. Allain Manesson-Mallet (1630-1706) advanced from his position of musket bearer under Louis XIV to eventually occupy the position of "maitre de mathematiques" to the French King. He was the author and engraver of "Description de L'Univers," 1683, a five-volume survey of the world that included maps of the ancient and modern world, star maps, illustrations of flora and fauna, and information on the (truncated) customs, religion and government of the many nations included in the text. At the time, the text was the largest and most comprehensive work of its kind ever published. Intended to entertain its readers, Mallet's "Description" was a time capsule of the 17th-century world that captured and displayed it in all its splendor. (Inventory #: 327113)