World Upon Worlds: The Waldseemüller Map of 1507
Featuring Toby Lester
Author of The Fourth Part of the World, DaVinci's Ghost, and contributing editor to The Atlantic
Lester will discuss the Waldseemüller map of 1507, the most celebrated map of the world, that gave America its name and introduced Europeans to the idea of the New World
Lecture, Book Signing, and Reception
No map of the world is more celebrated today than the Waldseemüller map of 1507—the great map that gave America its name and introduced Europeans to the idea of the New World as a continent surrounded by water. The map represents an extraordinary number of firsts in the history of cartography but in fact is far more all-encompassing, revealing, mysterious, and historically informative than is generally recognized. By surveying a number of the map's ancient, medieval, and Renaissance precedents, with the help of a kaleidoscopic variety of period maps and diagrams, this talk will unpack many of the forgotten stories and meanings embedded in the map, and will help situate it in the often surprising context of its own times.
This lecture is part of the CMRS 2011-2012 Lecture Series: Mapping Minds, Bodies, and Worlds
For additional information, go to http://cmrs.osu.edu/
