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Friday 6 June 2008

Helen Wallis - IMCoS Award for 2008

At the IMCoS [= International Map Collectors’ Society] annual dinner on Friday 6 June last the annual Helen Wallis - IMCoS Award for 2008 was presented – literally on a plate – to Wulf Bodenstein of Brussels. What is more, presented to the well-deserving founder and – since Saturday 1 March 2008 – Honorary President of the Brussels International Map Collectors’ Circle which celebrated its first 10 years of active and fruitful existence under his enthusiastic leadership in March.

Thanks to the Editor, Jean-Louis Renteux, last week co-incidentally saw the distribution to paid-up members of BIMCC of not only the regular and well-produced BIMCC Newsletter (ISSN 1379-3306), May 2008, No 31 but an accompanying celebratory, colour-illustrated, BIMCC Newsletter Special issue entitled ‘Ten years of the BIMCC’. The front cover reproduces reduced reproductions of the front pages of the Newsletter, May 1998, No 1 and of the January 2008 issue No 30.

The May 2008 BIMCC Newsletter highlights an article ‘The importance of maps at the Battle of Waterloo’ by Glenn Van den Bosch with a double-spread, enlarged and coloured, reproduction of a map by F.S. Weller FRGS from one of the four editions issued 1891 – 1898 of A school atlas of English history by S. R. Gardiner. Additionally, as has become the norm, Wulf has sought out and written reviews of some less encountered publications in the field of history of cartography (occasionally of benefit to me when once compiling the Imago Mundi Bibliography).

Congratulations to Wulf, who can now devote a little more time to his jazz saxophone - which hobby he shares with Martin Rickenbacher of Federal Office of Topography, Wabern, Switzerland - and welcome to new BIMCC President Eric Leenders (who connived at getting his forerunner over to London on slightly ‘false pretences’)!

Francis Herbert (IMCoS – Tooley Award winner, 1995)
Francis443herbert@btinternet.com

Wulf Bodenstein receives the IMCoS Helen Wallis Award 2008.

It did require the assistance of current BIMCC President Eric Leenders to lure Wulf Bodenstein into attending the IMCoS Annual Dinner 2008 in London in early June. Foregoing his customary scheduled rehearsal for the Jazz session in the “Spoorloos Station”, Wulf found himself the subject of the Award Winner’s presentation. After a personal, witty and initially cryptic speech by the chairman of the selection committee Tony Campbell, Wulf Bodenstein was proclaimed Winner of the 2008 Helen Wallis Award. The salver to go with this honour, inscribed with his name added to the illustrious list of previous winners, was handed over by IMCoS President Sarah Tyacke. The impromptu speech by Wulf thereafter, made clear that, he was a worthy winner indeed and a winner of international stature.

IMCoS, a London-based “international society of people, who love early maps” , named the Award after one of its Chairmen, Dr. Helen Wallis, who was a well-known academic in the field of historical cartography, famous for her many publications and wide-spread international contacts.

The Award has earlier been presented to quite an impressive array of international personalities, who have – all in their own specific way- contributed towards increasing awareness of historic cartography and the need to conserve, study, publicise and promote historical charts and maps as reflection of a cultural, scientific and artistic heritage.

IMCoS unites academics, map dealers and collectors of early maps worldwide and publishes the renowned IMCoS Journal, whilst organising an International Symposium each year, some where in the world. Award Winners comprise all nationalities from Spanish to British to American, Dutch, Austrian and German, in keeping with the aims, as stated in the Society’s constitution.

The fact that Wulf Bodenstein was chosen as the 2008 Winner emphasises that BIMCC in Brussels, founded by him, some 10 years ago, has meanwhile achieved international recognition under his tenure as President.

Hans D. Kok, BIMCC member, IMCoS Chairman.