Why I'm Mappy

The Shortcut

This blog is about sharing my antique/antiquarian/old map collection. It’s about why I have the maps I have, what I know about them and insofar as I can remember, where I bought them. When I travel, I hope to also include stories of how I encountered vendors and anything notable about their shops or their stories. This blog is not meant to sell anything, nor to I plan or want to sell anything in my collection. If anyone reading this has comments on anything they see here, I hope they’ll share with me and help me learn more about what I have.

The Scenic Route

I think I’ve always liked maps, but it wasn’t until I was in Paris, strolling along the Seine browsing and chatting with the bouquinistes that I became a map collector.

On that first trip to Paris, I fell in love with the city and wanted to buy a reproduction of an antique bird’s eye view of the city from one of the vendors. We were haggling over the price when he pointed out to me that for the same price as a “printed in China” poster, I could have a unique, original, antique map of the city. A little piece of history to carry home with me.

That’s how I think of antique or antiquarian (or old) maps. As historical snapshots. A map is not just a demonstration of political or geographic boundaries, they can represent a moment in time. They tell us how people saw themselves and how they wanted to be seen by others. As someone who studied and loves history, the chance to own and examine an artifact like this is deeply thrilling and also a responsibility.

I love to travel, and try to as much as I can. Since that first map purchase in Paris I’ve tried to acquire an antique map of every place I visit. Sometimes it’s a map of the city, sometimes of a whole country or region. Sometimes it’s barely fifty years old, not quite an antique and sometimes it goes back a few hundred years. It’s always an original.

Finding a place that sells antique maps can sometimes be difficult and sometimes an adventure. Sometimes, I can’t find a map of the place I’m in, in that place, and have to wait for an opportunity somewhere else to buy it. I find that the people that sell antique maps are almost always interesting, friendly people, and I’m always curious about how they got into the trade. Usually, they’re thrilled to talk about it.

I can still picture that Parisian vendor, and I wish I knew his name, because he set me on a course that’s brought me much happiness, adventure, camaraderie and fun over the years. Come be mappy with me!