The famous 17th century map of Italy by John Speed

A superb map of Italy, engraved by Abraham Goos for John Speed's 'Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World', the first English world atlas. The decorations include eight vignettes of costumes down the sides and views of Rome, Genoa, Verona, Naples, Venice and Florence along the top. This example comes from the Roger Rea issue, which was beset with disaster. According to an advert for the 1676 Bassett & Chiswell edition, ''the greatest part of an Impression, then newly Printed, [was] destroyed by the late dreadful Fire, 1666". Surviving examples of any Rea map are thus rare.