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If you are not interested in the technique used to create an early map and hand-made paper, and the ownership of a rare original antique map does not excite you, interesting early interpretations of the mapping of Australia are available as Heritage Editions reproductions or Limited Edition prints from early charts. The (hand-coloured) Limited Edition map above at right is from an original engraving of the first map of Australia published in English and showing only Australia. By Emanuel Bowen, it was originally published in England circa 1744. Below at left, is the Heritage Editions map originally published circa 1798 by Cassini, to show Captain Cook's navigation of the east coast, prior to Flinders' circumnavigation of Australia. Select from Heritage Editions reproduction maps at http://www.antiqueprintclub.com/c-8-maps.aspx.
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Sometimes a collector will secrete antique maps in special conservation storage - to be brought out on rainy days and peered at through a magnifying glass, or revealed to captive friends and family. The narrative of early voyages and discoveries are told within the scientific parameters of mapmaking. The finely engraved geographic detail, vignettes (engraved views), cartouches (title pieces), and decorative borders all reveal hours of painstaking artistry. The charting of coastlines, as well as representing the progress of discoveries, sometimes revealed through their inaccuracy, the competitive and artistic nature of their creators.