It is impossible to disassociate Robert Walton's map with that of its source map by John Speed issued in 1627. Even by the standards of the day, Walton's map is a faithful derivation without any attempt to update or stray from the original.



Unfortunately, what were perceived as innovations in the early seventeenth century as published by Speed and his sources, Jodocus Hondius and William Grent, seem outdated by 1659 when this map was issued. Although California was still thought to be an island by the majority of the world, the perception that Korea was an island had been corrected, French map makers had made important discoveries in the region of the Great Lakes in North America and the Dutch had just begun publishing the results of Abel Tasman's important voyages to Australia and New Zealand. Walton's map faithfully follows Speed's geography and has not been updated to show any of these discoveries, persisting with the outdated model of a large amorphous southern landmass with various peninsulas including New Guinea, Tierra del Fuego, the mythical Beach and the Land of the Parrots.



The illustrations on the border of the map are elaborate and attractive showing portraits of famous English circumnavigators, heavenly bodies, natural phenomena and four large allegorical scenes of the elements. It is here that the major 'difference' between Speed's map and this derivation occurs, by the reversal of these scenes. On Speed's map, air and fire are actually on the lower part while earth and water are on the upper part.



The other major difference is in the rarity of the two maps. Speed's map was part of his atlas first issued in 1627 and which had a long publishing history up to 1676. Walton's map was a separate issue, meaning it was mainly sold as a loose sheet and its survival depended on its insertion into a volume, whether a bible or history or composite atlas. Although it is known in several states, it is substantially scarcer than its source map.



This example is of the third state, with Walton's name excised.

[Shirley 397] [WLD3919]