The Malta Map Society (MMS) has produced a facsimile of four portolan atlases of the eighteenth-century Maltese captain, Antonio Borg, which are found at the British Library, Mss 13957-13960. This facsimile, consisting of four bound volumes in leather, will be deposited at the National Library of Malta for the benefit of all Maltese scholars. An official ceremony will be held on 30 November 2022 at 18.00 h in the presence of the Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, the Hon. Dr Owen Bonnici.
On the invitation of the Malta Map Society, Mr Hans D. Kok, a Dutch expert in historical cartography, a collector, a writer and co-author of a number of standard works on the vellum charts of the Dutch East India Company will be giving a talk to MMS members and friends, entitled Is it a sea chart?. He will be shedding light on what qualifies a map as a sea chart.
Following this talk, there will be the presentation of the bound volumes to the National Library. For the occasion, the Malta Map Society has put up an exhibition of some of the more important documents found in the portolan atlases.
A message from Anthony Mullan, Chair, Ristow Prize Award
Washington Map Society.
October 23, 2022
As many of you know, the Washington Map Society since 1994 has sponsored the
Ristow Prize contest for the best essay in the history of cartography. Because of very few submissions received this year (2022), we cancelled the contest. But the contest will take place next year (2023). You can help me by responding to this email just indicating that you received it. I plan to send out in the next two weeks an announcement giving the particulars of who is eligible to apply, the length of the essay, deadlines, etc. If you have responded to this email,
you will receive the announcement. Please contact me at cubaj2020@gmail.com.
Kind regards,
Anthony
Did you know that the GR routes were devised by the Belgian Maurice Cosyn? Founder of the Sentiers ardennais, he was the precursor of the famous Sentiers de grande randonnée and published numerous guidebooks devoted to the tourist attractions of the Ardennes. This year, these guides have entered the public domain. They are now freely accessible via the website of the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR).
When Cosyn was head of the Touring Club of Belgium, he was the instigator of several hiking trails that still exist today. Among them, the first Grande Randonnée (long-distance) paths, better known under the name GR, recognisable by their famous red and white markers. The GR trails invite you to discover lesser-known places that you would probably never have crossed otherwise. So don't hesitate to consult these guides before your next excursion in the Ardennes.
Read more. Or have a look at the interactive map.
Visages de l’exploration au XIXe siècle – Du mythe à l’histoire [Faces of exploration in the 19th century – From myth to history] - Map Circle Excursion to Paris on 2 July 2022
Looks at Books
Visages de l’exploration au XIXe siècle [Faces of exploration in the 19th century] - Catalogue of the Exhibition
Colonisation & Propagande [Colonisation and Propaganda]
Indonesia’s struggle for independence, which reached its climax in the 1940s, has long been regarded as a conflict between the colonial power, the Netherlands, and the colonized Dutch East Indies. But in fact it is part of world history. David Van Reybrouck’s Revolusi is the first book to go beyond the national perspective and demonstrate the conflict’s global significance.
Indonesia was the first country to declare independence after the Second World War. As soon as the Japanese occupation ended, young rebels engaged in armed resistance against any new form of domination. British, Australian and above all Dutch troops were sent to restore order and keep the peace, but instead their presence ignited the first modern war of decolonization. That struggle inspired independence movements in Asia, Africa and the Arab world, especially when Indonesia organized the legendary Bandung Conference in 1955, the first global conference without the West. The whole world had become involved with the Revolusi, and the whole world was changed by it.
In his familiar stirring and engaged style, and based on countless conversations with witnesses from different countries, David Van Reybrouck once again – after the phenomenal Congo. A History – presents a penetrating reconstruction of a struggle for independence.
Author: David Van Reybrouck, Revolusi, 2020, De Bezige Bij, 656 pp.
Source: Flanders Literature
The Portolan is the journal of the Washington Map Society; it furthers the purpose of the Society “to support and promote map collecting, cartography and the study of cartographic history.” The Portolan, the largest and most-widely distributed publication of its kind in the Americas, is issued three times per year, in the Spring/Summer, the Fall and Winter.
Read more.
A wink!
The Mare Nostrum Orchestra, conducted by Andrea De Carlo, performed at Caprarola Castle on 31 August 2022.
The programme included Moro per Amore, the eighth and last opera by Alessandro Stradella.
Many of our Members will remember our Excursion to the Academia Belgica in Rome in May 2016 and in particular our visit to Caprarola Castle.
Especially the Sala del Mappamondo, showing the whole of the known world as it was in 1574 when the frescoes were completed.
Read more:
In June 2021, ISHMap awarded the first Prize in Map History.
The projects for the winner and honorable mentions for the inaugural ISHMap Prize in Map History demonstrate exciting and innovative approaches to expanding the audiences for the history of maps and mapping through community engagement and interdisciplinary research. From traditional exhibitions with dynamic online content to physically bringing map history to local people in the countryside, these projects illustrate how vibrant and interdisciplinary map history can be.
You will find here descriptions of the Winner, Honorable Mentions and other notable submissions.
We remind you that Jan Trachet has been nominated for the 2021 ISHMap Prize in Map History with his Pourbus Troubadour project.
De Historische Atlas van het
Vlaams Gewest is inderdaad een
uniek kaartenboek. Sedert België
evolueerde naar een federale staat
en het Vlaams Gewest een realiteit
werd, was er geen echte atlas, die
het volledige gewest van De Panne
tot Maasmechelen en van Knokke
tot Ronse bestrijkt, voorhanden.
Wij willen met deze studie die
leemte opvullen met een werk dat
zowel de beroepshistoricus als de
geïnteresseerde liefhebber
aanspreekt. Wij geven graag toe dat
dit werk niet mogelijk zou geweest
zijn zonder het massaal online
plaatsen van allerhande oude en
mooie kaarten die tot dan toe in de
archieven verborgen bleven.
Dit werk is in de eerste plaats een
atlas, een verzameling van kaarten zoals die toen getekend en gegraveerd
werden. Sommige kaarten hebben wij bijgewerkt om hun leesbaarheid te
vergroten. Want leesbaarheid, is volgens onze bescheiden mening, een ‘conditio
sine qua non' voor het benaderen van een historische kaart.
De inhoud:
De Heraldische Kaart van het Brugse Vrije door Pieter Pourbus en gekopieerd
door Pieter Claeissens omstreeks 1601, op de kaart voorzien van nummers die
verwijzen naar de bijgevoegde legende.
De kaarten van het Amsterdamse huis Visscher, gekend onder de naam
Visscher-Roman kaarten uit 1656
De Fricx kaarten uit het begin van de 18de eeuw
De kaarten van J.P. de Bouge
De Kabinetskaart van Ferraris uit 1777, door de auteur voorzien van
parochiegrenzen, die niet op de originele kaartbladen stonden
De Carte Marchande van Ferraris uitgegeven in 1778
De topografische kaart van Vandermaelen op 1:80 000 uit het midden van
de 19de eeuw
Aangevuld met een hele reeks deelkaarten van kasselrijen, kwartieren,
departementen en provincies.
De auteur — Paul Vandewalle (°Brugge, 1941) studeerde geschiedenis aan de
Rijksuniversiteit te Gent en promoveerde in 1979 onder leiding van Prof. Dr.
Adriaan Verhulst tot Doctor in de Geschiedenis met als proefschrift De
geschiedenis van de landbouw in de Kasselrij Veurne, 1550-1645.
Beroepsmatig was hij leraar Geschiedenis aan het Sint-Lutgardis-instituut te
Oostende. Na zijn pensionnering ging zijn interesse steeds meer uit naar de
cartografie. Zo verscheen van zijn hand De Vlaamse Kasselrijen in kaart
gebracht en de tweedelige Historische Atlas van Veurne-Ambacht. Ook publiceerde hij een Historische Atlas van Knokke-Heist.
