Primary Sources - HIST 118: Introduction to the History of Science - Historical Maps(HC)

Map Images

Fantastic creatures from Mercator's map of the world (1569), Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris

A group of giants and a sea monster (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Primary Sources Collections

Primary source texts dealing with cartography, exploration and geography during the early modern periods are available in a variety of different places and formats.

1) There are online collections available for such texts. Haverford has access to Early English Books Online (EEBO) (see below). Other primary source collections like Gallica from France's Bibliothèque nationale are open access on the Web.

2) Still other sources are available in modern printed editions and translations. Like these titles available in the tri-colleges:

The navigator: The log of John Anderson, VOC pilot-major, 1640-1643. Published 2010. [Chronicles a voyage to the East Indies]

Pieter van den Broecke's journal of voyages to Cape Verde, Guinea and Angola, 1605-1612. Published 2000.

The map trade in the late eighteenth century: Letters to the London map sellers Jefferys & Faden. Published 2000.

3)Facsimiles and copies on microfilm can be identified in WorldCat and borrowed through E Z Borrow or interlibrary loan.

Early English Books Online (EEBO)
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Contains digital images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700. This collection contains about 100,000 of over 125,000 titles listed in Pollard & Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640) and Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700) and their revised editions, as well as the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661) collection and the Early English Books Tract Supplement. Includes books, pamphlets, manuscripts and newspapers.
Medieval & Early Modern Sources Online
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A collection of digitized editions of texts concerning economic, political, legal, and ecclesiastical history, such as treasury accounts, chronicles, papal registers, etc. Most are from England, Ireland, and Scotland, although some are from Milan and the New World.

Rare Book Libraries

While some primary source books and other kinds of materials have been digitized, there are great numbers which exist only in print or manuscript, particularly when it comes to documents and records which are often in one unique copy. Visiting a rare book library will give you access to additional source material, as you can readily see from the resources on Friends Hospital here in Haverford's Special Collection Library.

Use the databases below to search for primary source material in special collection libraries.

ArchiveGrid
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Provides over four million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. Represents over 1,000 archival institutions, including libraries, museums and historical societies.
Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine Special Collections Search
This group of 22 libraries and scholarly societies promotes research in the history of science. Their collections, many located in the Philadelphia area or East Coast cities, are available for you to use when making an on-site research trip. Use this federated search to see what kinds of materials in your subject area are available.
Worldcat.org
Worldcat represents the holdings of academic and public libraries on a global scale. There are over 300 million titles currently included. Libraries will often make a special effort to include their rare materials in WorldCat because those things are more difficult to find.

Image Sources

Antiquarian Maps
From Yale University's collections.
ArtStor
ArtStor presents a rich collection of digital images drawn from colleges, universities and museums. At the top of the page, click on "Enter Artstor Digital Library" and either login or sign up at the top of the page. By registering on the site you can make personal image group folders and download images.
Atlases - David Rumsey Map Collection
Charting America: Maps from the Lawrence H. Slaughter Collection and Others