Globes

At the Map House carries a wide selection of desktop and floorstanding globes, some examples of which are displayed below. If you require more information on any of the globes or on our complete collection, please do not hesitate to contact us at: maps@themaphouse.com

 This spectacular, large pair of library globes was    produced by the Newton firm, who were John Cary's  main competitors in the 19th century. As well as    showing the latest rendition of the large land masses  the tracks of Cook and Clerke show the names and  dates of discovery of some of the more obscure  islands in the South Pacific. Most curiously of all, on one Cook's tracks there is a series of annotations marking the positions of the sightings of various  species of sea bird; it could be speculated that this was important to mariners when calculating the proximity of land in unknown waters. Finally one must  mention the very fine mahogany three legged stands which were custom made for these globes, indicating their importance to their owner. Produced in  London by John Newton & Son, 1840.

 This rare pair of late 18th century desktop globes was  prepared to accompany the Geographical Magazine. To  celebrate the voyages of Captain Cook, his  track has  been marked around the globe as has that of Captain  Anson. As Cook was the first explorer to complete the outlines of the large southern  landmasses such as Australia and New Zealand, this is one of the earliest globes on which all the continents have been drawn reasonably accurately.  However, the complete outline of New Guinea is not shown and Tasmania is thought to be part of Australia. The interior is presented by vast unknown tracts of land in North America, Africa and Asia. The exploration of these lands did not occur until the 19th  century.  Part of the charm of these items is this lack of knowledge. Produced in London by William Bardin, 1783.

 There are several interesting curiosities on this pair of  early desktop globes. The full title of  'New Terrestrial    and Celestial Globes' puts particular emphasis on the  latest discoveries made on the North Pole, and it  documents the land explorations of McKenzie and Hearne in Northern Canada. In the Eastern Hemisphere the sea route of Capt. Phipps to Spitzbergen is marked whilst in the South Sea, the tracks of Vancouver, Cook and La Perouse are shown. The celestial globe declares that it records upwards of 3500 stars and constellations and it is based on the work of Mr. Gilpin, Fellow of the Royal Society. There is also have a key indicating the magnitude of stars. This pair of globes were made in the early stages of Cary's career as a globe maker, prior to the move of his establishment from the Strand to St. James in 1820. Based on the beauty and expertise of these globes it can already be seen why Cary is believed to be the finest globe maker of the early 19th century. Produced in London by John Cary, c1810.

 This splendid pair of tabletop globes state that they  show the very latest discoveries and the sheer  amount of detail present lends credence to their  boast. This was the period when the full coastlines of  the great landmasses had been finally depicted and Kirkwood takes full advantage of this. There were still many discoveries to be made in the interiors of the continents and these have been left blank; this is especially true in the case of Eastern and Central Africa though in the North West there is some detail in the Sahara including the marking of two salt mines in the vicinity of Timbuctoo. The marking of the tracks of the voyages of Cook, Vancouver, La Perouse and Gore confirms the continuing fascination of the South Seas which is also borne out by the detailed depiction of newly discovered island groups such as Fiji and Hawaii. The celestial globe is much more fanciful with very fine illustrations of various constellations including the Zodiac and the positioning of major stars. As is usual with celestial globes of this time there is a scale showing the magnitude of star; what is not so usual is that Kirkwood has no less than seven different orders of magnitude. This pair of globes must rank among very fine examples of their type. Produced in Edinburgh by James Kirkwood, c1820.

 Illuminated globe with paper gores on top of a  perspex globe. This Swedish terrestrial globe has a  chrome calibrated half meridian and it is raised on a  dark wood base. It has a scale of 1:38,600,000 and  the political boundaries of countries are marked by the  use of colour. Capital cities have been underlined or  shown in capital letters and foreign colonies are  bracketed with the initials of the ruling country.  Produced in Leipzig by Paul Rath, c1959.

 This Swedish terrestrial globe has a chrome calibrated  half meridian, raised on a spindle on a dark wood base  with an inset compass. It has a scale of  1:38,000,000 with the political boundaries of  countries marked by the use of colour. Foreign  colonies are bracketed with the initials of the ruling.  Other interesting points are the ocean currents and  shipping routes that are also depicted. Produced in  Stockholm by D. Hammer, c1940.

 This Swedish terrestrial globe has a chrome calibrated  half meridian, raised on a turned spindle on a pale  wood base with an inset compass. It has a scale of       1:38,600,000 and the political boundaries of  countries are marked by the use of colour. Capital  cities have been underlined or shown in capital  letters.  Foreign colonies are bracketed with the initials  of the ruling country. Other interesting points are the  steam ship routes and borders of the ice shelves  that are also depicted. Produced in Leipzig by A.  Krause, c1940.

 Moon Globe showing the visible side of the Moon pre  Luna 3 1959 survey. Set upon a lovely dark  wood stand and base with spread eagle metalwork  design. Produced in Chicago by the Replogle Globes  Inc, 1959.