L'Amerique Septentrionale. Dressée sur les Observations de Mrs. de l'Academie Royale des Sciences...

L'Amerique Septentrionale. Dressée sur les Observations de Mrs. de l'Academie Royale des Sciences, & quelques autres, & sur les Memoires des plus recent Par G. De L'Isle Geographe. a Amsterdam Chez Pierre Schenk, sur le vygendam, a l' Atlas de Sanson. Avec Privilege 1708.

A fine example of the Pieter Schenk copy of the Dutch edition of Guillaume De L'Isle's Highly Important Map of North America, published in Paris in 1700 (Burden, The Mapping of North America, n. 761).

Peter Schenk's reissue of one of the most influential maps of North America, laying the groundwork for much of the cartography of the 18th century, first published in 1700, of which Tooley writes "A foundation map. The Great Lakes based on Coronelli showing the French strong points at Tadousac, Quebec, Fort Sorel, Montreal & Fort Frontenac.... In this map De l'Isle corrected longitude positions and was the first to revert to a peninsula form for California. He stops his western coast at Cape Mendocin. The first printed map to show the Sargasso Sea."

De L'Isle's map of North America is a widely celebrated cartographic landmark. De L'Isle had access to the latest information from French explorers in the New World, during a time when the French dominated the exploration of the interior of the continent. This meant that De L'Isle's maps were invariably updated and innovative in their content. 

While his first regional maps did not appear until 1703 (Carte du Mexique et de la Floride... and Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France) and 1718 (Carte de la Louisiane et du cours de Mississipi.... ), this map represents De L'Isle's first work on America. It was extremely influential for other maps of the period, both for what it includes and as a snapshot of the knowledge available to De L'Isle in the three years immediately prior to his issuing of the regional maps.

The map is intensely detailed, although areas that lack information are boldly left blank. In addition to settlements, rivers, forts, and mountains, De L’Isle has included numerous notes about geographic features and local peoples. For example, in the southwest, the Apaches are described as “vaqueros”, or skilled horsemen, as well as vagabonds.

The Great Lakes, based on Coronelli, show the French strongholds at Tadoussac, Quebec, Fort Sorel, Montreal, and Fort Frontenac. The English settlements are kept to the east of the Alleghenies, with Fort and River Kinibeki as the border between New England and Acadia.

Peter Schenk the Elder (1660-1711) moved to Amsterdam in 1675 and began learning the art of mezzotinting. In 1694 he bought some of the copper plates of cartographer Johannes Janssonius, which enabled him to specialize in engraving and printing maps and prints. He divided his time between his store in Amsterdam and Leipzig and also sold a considerable volume of materials in London. Schenk had three children: Peter the Younger carried on his father's business in Leipzig, while the other two, Leonard and Jan, worked in Amsterdam. Leonard engraved several maps and continued his relationship with his father by engraving plates for the Amsterdam edition of the Histoire de l'Académie Royale des Sciences. 

Copper engraving, contemporary colour, in perfect condition.