The Mapping Of Terra Australis

A guide to early printed maps of Australia, Antarctica and the South Pacific.

The cover image, World Map by Fra Mauro c. 1450, is one of the most important and famous maps of all time. This monumental map of the world was created by the monk Fra Mauro in his monastery on the island of San Michele in the Venetian lagoon. Now the centrepiece of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in St Marc’s Square in Venice, the map in its nearly 600-year history has never left Venice – until now. Renowned for its sheer size - over 2.3 metres square - and stunning colours, the map was made at a time of transition between the medieval world view and new knowledge uncovered by the great voyages of discovery. Brilliantly painted and illuminated on sheets of oxhide, the sphere of the Earth is surrounded by the sphere of the Ocean in the ancient way. Yet Fra Mauro included the latest information on exploration by Portuguese and Arab navigators. Commissioned by King Afonso V of Portugal, it is the last of the great medieval world maps to inspire navigators in the Age of Discovery to explore beyond the Indian Ocean.

Terra Australis - the southern land - was one of the most widespread concepts in European geography from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, although the notion of a land mass in the southern seas had been prevalent since classical antiquity. Despite this fact, there has been relatively little sustained scholarly work on European concepts of Terra Australis or the intellectual background to European voyages of discovery and exploration to Australia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Through interdisciplinary scholarly contributions, ranging across history, the visual arts, literature and popular culture, this volume considers the continuities and discontinuities between the imagined space of Terra Australis and its subsequent manifestation. It will shed new light on familiar texts, people and events - such as the Dutch and French explorations of Australia, the Batavia shipwreck and the Baudin expedition - by setting them in unexpected contexts and alongside unfamiliar texts and people. The book will be of interest to, among others, intellectual and cultural historians, literary scholars, historians of cartography, the visual arts, women's and post-colonial studies.

This edition of A Voyage to Terra Australis contains all of the original illustrations and charts, which are vital for understanding the details of Matthew Flinders circumnavigation of Australia. The book covers a period of thirteen years (1801-1814); the initial three years comprise the journey of Flinders' ship the HMS Investigator as it sailed the coastlines of what was then known as Terra Australis. The second volume details the conclusions of these voyages, and Captain Flinders capture at the hands of the French. At war with England, and unconvinced Flinders' mission was purely scientific, the French governor Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen imprisoned him for a total of six years; a Royal Navy blockade forced the author's parole. The scientific importance of mapping the entirety of Australia - upon which the British had established colonies - was undoubted: much of Australia, particularly the northern and western coasts, were hitherto poorly understood by mariners. The job was difficult: throughout, Flinders' ship would sustain wear and damage, impairing its ability to avoid calamities such as a collision with land or destruction in a storm. A Voyage to Terra Australis primarily concerns the various episodes that the HMS Investigator and its crew encountered in its voyage. The first volume however commences by summarizing what was already known thanks to the previous explorations of Australia by various ships; the early Dutch mercantile ventures to the outer portions of the continent, and the famous voyage of James Cook, are recounted. After these summaries are completed, Matthew Flinders commences to detail his own expedition. The painstaking process of mapping the coastlines between and around portions already discovered is described with measurements and charts. The obstacles of weather, and the sheer distance of the traversal, were surmounted by the persistence of Flinders and his fellow cartographers. Although this book is chiefly concerned with the mapping of the vast unknown lands, Flinders also includes several interesting events. An island with a healthy population of kangaroos - a creature unique to the Australian continent - is detailed with an accompanying drawing. Chance meetings with other vessels are mentioned, as are the various purchases of vital supplies to continue the long mission. Initially, Flinders was asked to simply keep records of his journey and observations. However his incarceration gave him ample time to draft this longer, more literary account of his travels. Unexpected results include his observation of the dodge tides of South Australia; although not a physicist, Flinders correctly speculated their cause. One of the most successful navigators of his time, the author demonstrated an early aptitude for seamanship. It was noted by his superiors that he possessed gifts both for command and the drawing of maps; after he had sufficiently rose through the Royal Navy's ranks that he was given command of the HMS Investigator. Tragically the years he spent captured took a toll on his health; he died in 1814 aged forty, a mere four years after arriving home in England.

Exploring the South Land is a celebration of the mapmaker's art - commencing with the 1606 voyage of Captain Willem Janszoon, the first European to chart part of the unknown southern continent. This book documents, by means of a sequence of historical maps, the emergence of knowledge over 400 years from the time that navigators began probing south in search of Terra Australis Incognita until the modern outlines of Australia and Tasmania were determined.

Terra Australis - the southern land - was one of the most widespread concepts in European geography from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, although the notion of a land mass in the southern seas had been prevalent since classical antiquity. Despite this fact, there has been relatively little sustained scholarly work on European concepts of Terra Australis or the intellectual background to European voyages of discovery and exploration to Australia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Through interdisciplinary scholarly contributions, ranging across history, the visual arts, literature and popular culture, this volume considers the continuities and discontinuities between the imagined space of Terra Australis and its subsequent manifestation. It will shed new light on familiar texts, people and events - such as the Dutch and French explorations of Australia, the Batavia shipwreck and the Baudin expedition - by setting them in unexpected contexts and alongside unfamiliar texts and people. The book will be of interest to, among others, intellectual and cultural historians, literary scholars, historians of cartography, the visual arts, women's and post-colonial studies.

Hardcover reprint of the original 1859 edition - beautifully bound in brown cloth covers featuring titles stamped in gold, 8vo - 6x9". All foldouts have been masterfully reprinted in their original form. No adjustments have been made to the original text, giving readers the full antiquarian experience. For quality purposes, all text and images are printed as black and white. This item is printed on demand. Book Information: Major, Richard Henry. Early Voyages To Terra Australis, Now Called Australia: A Collection Of Documents, And Extracts From Early Manuscript Maps. Illustrative Of The History Of Discovery On The Coasts Of That Vast Island, From The Beginning Of The Sixteenth Century To The Time Of Captain Cook. Indiana: Repressed Publishing LLC, 2012. Original Publishing: Major, Richard Henry. Early Voyages To Terra Australis, Now Called Australia: A Collection Of Documents, And Extracts From Early Manuscript Maps. Illustrative Of The History Of Discovery On The Coasts Of That Vast Island, From The Beginning Of The Sixteenth Century To The Time Of Captain Cook, . London: Printed For The Hakluyt Society, 1859. Subject: Voyages And Travels