LONDON.- The 2011 London Map Fair, taking place in the historic surroundings of the Royal Geographical Society, is the most established and largest antiquarian map fair in Europe: over forty of the leading national and international specialist map dealers will be exhibiting in June.

Visitors to the fair will discover a vast selection of original antique maps covering the whole world and printed between the 15th and 19th centuries. Highlights include a map of the universe by seventeenth-century Venetian cartographer Coronelli, revealing the Nine Circles of Hell as described in Dante’s Divine Comedy, as well as a 19th century curiosity map of Europe depicting each country in the form of a caricature: the United Kingdom figures as an old crone.

Other fine maps offered this year will include: an example of Ogilby’s innovative and incredibly detailed, 17th century road map, marking all inns, churches and other landmarks on the road from London to Portsmouth - the course of the modern A3; an impression of Braun and Hogenberg's bird’s-eye view of London; the earliest surviving printed plan of the city, dated 1574; and Christoph Vetter's rare and beautiful 17th century depiction of Bohemia stylised as a rose, with Prague at its centre and Vienna, the seat of the Hapsburg Dynasty, at its root.

Exhibitors will offer atlases, travel books, globes, sea charts, town plans, celestial maps, topographical prints and reference books; there are prices to suit all pockets ranging from a very affordable £10 to over £100,000 for exceptional pieces.

Established in 1980, this event is a must-visit in the collectors’ calendar - for map enthusiasts, dealers and curators alike. This year Laurence Worms and Ashley Baynton-Williams will launch their long-awaited Dictionary of British Map Engravers at the Fair. The product of over twenty years of research, it offers a wealth of fresh material on the map trade and a new insight into the lives of its most important figures, revealing some surprising links and relationships in the process.

SATURDAY 11th June 12.00 – 19.00
SUNDAY 12th June 10.00 – 17.00