Autumn 2015  Newsletter
In This Issue
Quick Links
Maps Website Home Page
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Map Website Index
 
Our Shop
We're Around!

Although we're hoping for a whole lot less in the way of snow this winter,  we do enjoy a quaint dusting for the holidays.

Our shop is normally open: 

Monday - Saturday:
10am - 5pm
 
Sunday:
12 noon- 5pm  

We're also available after hours by appointment, and you can  shop online 24/7 at:



Or give us a call at:
508-945-1660

Although it's famous for its summer fare, Chatham is especially festive in December with various  Christmas by the Sea events, & elaborate  First Night celebrations. Come and share the magic of our seaside town in winter!

If you or your loved-ones need accomodations, send them over to our converted 18th century farmhouse, Chatham Guest Rooms.  We have been very  well reviewed on TripAdvisor!

November 4, 2015 
DEAR MOA FRIENDS,

As this winter holiday season begins, we'd like to thank you all for another year of enthusiastic recommendations, referrals, reviews, and- most of all- your business. Fortunately, we can maintain a steady business throughout the year, even in a location as seasonal as Cape Cod. We are especially grateful to the walk-in customers, online shoppers, collectors, dealers, and home decorators who allow our niche business to thrive.  

With the turning of the leaves, this season has brought changes to our little shop as well. Maps of Antiquity co-owner Danielle Jeanloz has accepted the position of Executive Director at the Atwood House Museum, which is just down the road .  She still pops into the shop from time to time, and you history enthusiasts should certainly pay her a visit as you view the Chatham Historical Society's fascinating collection. 

We're also pleased to announce an exciting new addition to our Maps of Antiquity family; a 48-inch flat screen monitor that allows customers in our shop instant access to our entire online collection. Searchable by region, map type, keyword, or any of the categories on our website, customers may now browse digitally to their hearts' content, and can view hard copies upon request. Because space naturally limits the number items we can display at one time in our shop, maps and charts are stored in various locations throughout the building, including obscure corners known only to Bob. This new system allows you to view all of your desired maps in one convenient place, saving you time and extending the lives of antique maps that wish to be handled as little as possible. But don't take our word for it. Stop in and see our flying leap into the 21st century for yourselves.

Finally, we've added a number of  additional maps to the SUPER DEALS section of our website. Although we do not, as a rule, discount our maps, there's only so much space in the 18th century farmhouse that Maps of Antiquity calls home, and we must make room for new material. As a result, we've discounted such treasures as Speed's 1610 map of  Leicester ;  both Countye and Citie describe, The Honorable Famylies that have had titles of Earls thereof , Jansson's 1640  Albis Fluvius Germania celebris, A Fontibus ad Ostia  showing the course of the Elbe River in Germany from the North Sea to Prague, Hermann Moll's beautifully detailed map of  South America  circa 1740, and the restored Beers map of  New York and Vicinity . Take advantage of these deep discounts before somebody else does.
We are open all year 'round!
We are open all year round!  Stop by to see us!

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS FOR 2015
Yes, it's getting to be that time of year again! Maybe we're biased, but we believe that maps make some of the most thoughtful gifts imaginable. Head over to the  Holiday Gifts Section of our website for inspiration, or go down Santa's list and see if you can identify each person 's favorite places. These often include hometowns and birthplaces, college campuses, wedding and honeymoon destinations, locations of favorite vacations, and places of ancestral origin or personal historical interest.

Now that you have these places  in mind, let's see where we can go with them... 

We currently estimate that the maps in our Chatham shop number more than 18,000, from world maps that illustrate man's evolving knowledge of geography to village maps that include the names of each homeowner. Whether you're seeking a particular street, city, state, or nation, we're here to help you find the perfect map. 

Pictorial Maps and Bird's Eye Views


For a less traditional aesthetic, consider our pictorial maps. Dating back at least to Medieval Europe, these maps have long offered their unique cartographic perspectives to people with an eye for utilitarian artwork. We have some exciting bird's-eye-view maps of vacation destinations like New York CityKingfield, MaineJamaicaThe White MountainsProvincetown, Mass.Lake GeorgeBoston HarborCasco Bay, and many more!     

Vienna_ Austria Bird_s Eye View
Vienna


For an even more detailed glimpse of the past, we also offer antique town and city views. These original engravings were first published in the newspapers and magazines of the day, and being essentially disposable media, few copies of each remain in existence today. We have many more of these than are listed on our website, so be sure to  ask for a view of specific dates or places.

Postcards and Framed Postcards


For personalized, value-priced gifts, we also offer custom  conservation framing  of   historic postcards  i n clusters of two to five cards. Because the writing on the back is often as interesting as the image, we will scan and include the reverse of each card on the backside of your frame at no additional charge. Our postcard collection includes college cards, as well as many towns in New York and New England. Most of these cards are not on our website, but given an area of interest, we are happy to provide you with photos and prices. 

For the Sailor or History Buff
If there's a seafarer on your holiday shopping list, have a look through our impressive assortment of nautical charts and coastal survey chartsThe history buffs on your list will love our ancient history maps, our military maps and views, our extra-large school and wall maps, and especially our collection of very early maps.   Miniature maps are as space-saving as they are adorable.

For the Atlas Lover
The extraordinary miniature atlas pictured below was published by Andrew Dury in 1761. Still in its original leather binding, it contains 45 individual maps to cover the known world in its entirety. 



For the Star Gazer
Perhaps  there's someone on your list who is  so very special...  you'd give them the moon and the stars if you could. Well, now you can. Our antique celestial maps by Burritt , Mallet , Butler , an d Nitzchke will let you do just that. Our spec ial collection  of  Hold to Light  celestials were designed on heavy cardstock with careful cut outs  backed with filmy, colored paper. When you hold them to the light, the stars shine through and the effect is simply  stunning. These can be custom framed with UV protective glass on both sides, ready to hang in the window of your beloved.
 
 
For the Global Perspective
Comparative and geological maps will allow the nature lovers on your list to bring the outdoors in with them, as will our eclectic n atural history prints of plants, animals, and marine life.   An antique weather map is sure to impress the renaissance man or woman in your life.

Custom Gifts are One-Of-A-Kind
We now offer a variety of custom map-related products! You're limited only by your imagination. We've printed maps on fabric, ceramic tiles, and wallpaper. Our  custom hand-crafted map tables are a customer favorite-- perfect for those who've  run out of wall space, or simply wish to create a new family heirloom. 



In addition to our extensive collection of authentic antique maps in a range of prices, we also sell select high-quality reproduction maps, as well as  pre-framed items ready for immediate pick up.  

Remember to allow at least three weeks for custom work as well as framing, and some extra time for Priority and Express shipping during the busy holiday season.  

HOLIDAY SHIPPING TIMELINE


Wherever in the  world  your map  gifts  are going, we will get them there, weather willing, with the help of Santa's reindeers and the U.S. Postal Service.

In an effort to get your maps and prints to their destinations before December 25th, we encourage you to consider the following:

CUSTOM FRAMING should be ordered by December 1st for domestic shipping. A fine selection of  pre-framed maps and prints hanging in our shop will be available for last minute shoppers.  We are open daily until the December 24th for in-store pick up. 

UNFRAMED MAPS should be ordered prior to Sunday, DECEMBER 20TH for arrival by December 25th. We will continue to ship maps ordered after that date, but cannot make promises regarding pre-Christmas delivery. 

PLEASE NOTE: Because we do not control the actual delivery after packages leave our shop, we cannot guarantee delivery within a given time frame. If you need an absolute guarantee, please ask about OVERNIGHT and EXPRESS options.  These options are guaranteed by the U.S. Postal Service but have not always arrived on time due to weather and additional traffic delays.


BOOK REVIEW:  
Manhattan in Maps by Robert Augustyn & Paul E. Cohen

 
Recommended Reading

This book tells the story of Manhattan's development from its earliest days as a Dutch Colony, through its Revolutionary War occupation by the British, up to the major American city we know and love today.  Knowing New York, it is hard to imagine that for its first 150 years, until the Revolution, New York City was concentrated at the extreme southern end of Manhattan.  The area north of Wall Street consisted of countryside, meadows, and humble farms.  From the time of its settlement until the America Revolution, Wall Street truly was where the edge of the walled city was located.  Built by the Dutch, this wall was designed to defend the city against Native Americans and, later, the English. 

Colorfully laid out, this book describes the city's formation and transformation to an international trade center through a series of maps and narratives.  The colorful maps show the detail of the city's evolving structure, including the hills, streams and marshes that were altered or altogether lost in the name of progress. Marshes were filled, streams were tamed into culverts, and hills were largely leveled. Aside from the Battery Park area, little new land was ctreated at the southern end.  One series of maps shows the development around Wall Street including early street arrangements, and fires that shaped the city.  Forts were constructed at strategic locations and wharves were built out into deeper water, for great boats to unload cargo, first on the East River and eventually on the West Side as well.  

Central Park and the city's grid layout were largely a 19th century undertaking.  Faced with the challenge of reworking stone, the city was built up slowly before that time.  Philadelphia was the largest city in colonial America, but with its strategic location at the mouth of the Hudson River, Manhattan exploded in size and population, especially after the completion of the Erie Canal. Growth in the Midwest created a need for transportation to points eastward, and produce and farming materials were transported through the Hudson River to the rest of the world.  

Authors Cohen and Augustin tell a compelling story. Articulate and generously illustrated, this engaging history of Manhattan is sure to please map enthusiasts, history buffs, and general admirers of the Big Apple. An updated version of this book was published in 2014.

If you like this book, you will love one of our newest reproductions: Manhattan Then and Now, 1909.

This map shows both the original geographic land forms of Manhattan as well as the street grid and the additions of land and wharves around the island.  
Available framed or unframed!
MAP TERMINOLOGY MADE EASY
Each of our newsletters will now include several definitions to increase your cartographic vocabulary. You can find the cumulative list on our website- keep checking back for more! If there are map terms you'd like to see defined next, let us know. We take requests!
 
Bathymetry:
The science of measuring water depths to determine bottom topography.
 
Cadastral:
A cadastral survey relates to land boundaries and the definition of ownership, limitations of land titles, etc. Derived from "cadastre" meaning a register of land quantities, values, and ownership used levying taxes, the term may properly be applied to surveys of a similar nature outside the public lands, such surveys are more commonly called "land surveys" or "property surveys."
 
Cartography:
The science and art of making maps and charts. The term may be taken broadly as comprising all the steps needed to produce a map: planning, aerial photography, field surveys, photogrammetry, editing, color separation, and multicolor printing. Mapmakers, however, tend to limit use of the term to the map-finishing operations, in which the master manuscript is edited and color separation plates are prepared for lithographic printing.
 
Charts:
Special-purpose map designed for navigation or to present specific data or information. The term "chart" is applied chiefly to maps made primarily for nautical and aeronautical navigation, and to maps of the heavens, although the term is sometimes used to describe other special-purpose maps.
 
Nautical Charts:
Representation of a portion of the coastal waters of the Earth, designed specifically to meet requirements for marine navigation. Included on most nautical charts are depths of water, characteristics of the substrate, elevations of selected topographic features, general configurations and characteristics of the coast, mean high water line,  dangers, obstructions and aids to navigation such as lighthouses and channel markers, limited tidal data, and information about magnetic variation in the charted area.

JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Find us on Social Media for more updates
Do you tweet, follow, like, and pin? Well, Maps of Antiquity has an active Facebook page where we post map-related articles, unusual maps and prints that we add to our website, company news, and answers to frequently-asked questions.

On Pinterest, we display some of our maps and prints and add opinions and comments about specific pieces. We also provide boards with decorating ideas.

On Twitter, Maps of Antiquity offers links to articles and brief news. We also periodically update Google Plus and LinkedIn with company news and product information.

So if you are spending time on social media, be sure to look us up. Also, if you have a preferred social media where you think we should be active....let us know!

Maps of Antiquity | info@mapsofantiquity.com | 508-945-1660
1409 Main Street, Chatham, Cape Cod, MA 02633