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  1540 (undated)         1 : 40000000 Description This is a 1578 strike of Sebastian Münster's 1540 map of Asia, the first printed map of that continent based on contemporary data, and the earliest obtainable map of the continent overall. The map depicts the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf to the Pacific Ocean, and from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. Although the interior detail is based heavily on Ptolemy, Münster also blends in information gleaned from recent discoveries made by Portuguese traders and adventurers, including Vasco da Gama (c. ...

Cosmographia, in which this map appeared until about 1569. Whereas Geographia only appeared in Latin, Münster's new work was published in German, Latin, French, and Italian (the sole Czech edition of 1554 had only one map of Bohemia). The movable stereotype text with which the map was lettered exhibits slight variations from edition to edition, as does the verso text. Also, the cracks would increase in severity until 1571 or 1572, when the badly worn woodblock was replaced with a similar (but easily distinguishable) woodcut which remained in Münster's opus until 1578, with the exception o...