21 Jul 2011 01:18:26
Prints of John Speed's beautiful maps are to be found in living rooms all over the world he carefully documented four centuries ago.
But a unique atlas bringing together maps made by the great British cartographer of the 16th and 17th centuries may fetch a record-breaking price at auction on Wednesday.
Speed's atlas contains two works, the Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain and A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World. This version of the atlas was published and hand-coloured after Speed's death in 1629 and could sell for £100,000 or more.
Chris Albury, of auctioneer Dominic Winter in Gloucestershire, said there was great excitement about the atlas.
"It is absolutely sumptuous from beginning to end and is an absolute prize for map and atlas collectors alike," he said.
"To see a complete uncoloured copy of this most prestigious atlas is always exciting. To see one come on the market with expert early hand-colouring throughout is a once in a lifetime experience.
"Speed has been justly fashionable among map collectors worldwide for 400 years and that makes this special atlas a collector's trophy of utmost value. We've not found one that has sold for more than our estimate."
Albury said he hoped the atlas would be bought by a book lover rather than someone who would break it up to sell the maps individually.
