5 Ways to Start Building a Map Collection or, a Beginner's Thoughts on "a Beginner's Guide" to Map Collecting

I came across this post on the Map Room Blog. In it, the author of the Map Room makes a few short comments about this article, in which the author talks about his new-found passion for collecting maps, specific British Ordinance Survey maps.

It made me realize a few things: 1) People collect maps that aren't necessarily old 2) there are dozens of ways to structure a map collection.

Honestly, the thought of collecting new maps, and things like road maps, has little appeal to me. I do love looking at maps of all kinds, but collecting, for me, means old, antique or otherwise unique maps.

I thought--especially in light of the upcoming Miami International Map Fair--I'd provide a list of things a new map-collector may want to consider when structuring or curating their collection. Of course, take your advice from who it comes: I'm an amateur and have my own reasons for collecting!

1)  Location Depicted: some people may want to collect only maps of a specific location. This allows you to build a collection that is deep, but potentially narrow. If you choose some place in Europe, your collection could potentially be quite large and cover a very long period of time, showing evolution over time.

2)  Location Made: Different countries have different traditions of map making. It's sometimes fascinating to see how, at different periods of time, some maps from different countries will show the same place quite differently. It's also sometimes fascinating to see maps of familiar places labeled in different languages. Some maps even show longitude differently, based on a place like Washington D.C. or Paris, instead of Greenwich.

3)  Age: Some people only want old maps. Some people, like the author of the article the Map Room commented on, only want relatively recent maps. I can see how--especially those with money--could be attracted to medieval maps, or original maps of early exploration, while others may prefer maps of the Victorian era, or from the colonial period of one country or another.

4)  Cartographer: Some map makers, like Blaeu, Mitchell, Johnston and Colton are well known and prolific, though some are rarer than others. I can see how someone may fall in love with a certain style (Blaeu's maps are particularly beautiful) and just want to amass as many maps by the same map maker as possible.

Blaeu's maps are undeniably gorgeous

5)  Specific Attributes: I realize this is a broad category, but there are so many ways to curate a collection that choosing a common element for all the maps in your collection is a good way to go. I prefer to collect maps only of places I've actually visited or been to (with rare exceptions). One may also consider a collection of maps linked to their family's genealogy. I've seen auctions for important military maps from various wars, or you can choose only to collect maps with blank spaces on them, or with sea monsters!

Some people may just enjoy maps and collect whatever they come across that tickles their fancy. That's great. For starting out though, I think it's probably worthwhile to have a sense of where you're going with your collection and what you're collecting for. I tend to have a good idea of the kinds of maps I want. That said, I can't pass up a dusty old book or map shop without going in to browse, even if I don't think they'll have what I want. The hunt is so much of the fun!

Come From Away: Colton's New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island

In the Canadian Maritime and Atlantic provinces, someone who's from any place other than one of those four provinces is known as a CFA, a come from away: because that's where you're from, away.

A few years back, my wife and I went on a fabulous road trip through the Maritime and Atlantic provinces (Newfoundland and Labrador is an Atlantic province, not a Maritime one), had an amazing time, met some wonderful people, saw some great sights, ate some great food, got engaged and I bought a couple of maps!

The map I'll feature in this post is a gorgeous Colton, first published in 1855 of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island. I bought this map at an art gallery in Halifax that also sold some maps called Zwicker's Gallery (a place that is itself an institution). They had some other beautiful maps of the region (Including a great one with images of some dogs this part of the world are famous for, notably the Labrador and the Newfoundland Dog), but this was the only one I could afford at the time.

 I love this map! There's so much about it that's appealing.

First, just look at it! The border is gorgeous. It has that wonderful element of spilling outside the border, showing every element of the land. It breaks up the provinces (colonies at the time) into counties, which I don't believe are particularly significant these days, and it's in excellent condition. Even the name plate of the map is appealing.

The way "Colton" is written, the various fonts of the names of the different places...I just find this map very pleasing to look at.

Second, the history represented on this map is wonderful. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were among the first four provinces of Canada which came together for confederation in 1867. Prince Edward Island would only join Canada in 1873 (largely because of heavy debt from having built a railroad on the small island), and Newfoundland joined still later, in 1949, after a much debated referendum.

Third, the detail on this map is impressive. So many of the tiny bays, capes and coves on Newfoundland are named. Some of these places may have been, or were being settled for the first time around when this map was published. Other places, including some of Newfoundland's largest communities today are completely absent from the map, in some cases, like Gander, Newfoundland, because they didn't even exist until around 100 years later.

 A final thing I enjoy about this map, is that it presents another mystery to me. The map clearly says it's a Colton. It also says it was first published in 1855. That doesn't mean that the actual paper map I have is from 1855, it could be more recent. There's an annotation from the seller next to the page number (19) that shows the year 1864. The problem is, when I search, I can't find any Colton atlases published that year. Even when I go through the ever-useful Rumsey website, I can find very similar Colton maps, but none that are on page 19. Perhaps even more strange, there is an almost identical Johnson map that is printed on page 19 from 1865, but it is clearly not the same map I have. All I've been able to find is someone selling the identical map (in rough condition) on ebay. This person claims their map is from 1855, but they may simply be looking at the date of first publication, which could be quite different from the date of actual printing. I'm including a screen capture of the item for sale below.

Once more, another mystery to solve. Anyone with thoughts or insights is encouraged to let me know!