Cornelius de Jode’s 1593 map of North America is one of the great rarities of Renaissance cartography. Issued only in the second and final edition of the Speculum Orbis Terrarum, it is the first full-size folio atlas map devoted exclusively to North America and one of the most ambitious attempts to rival Ortelius’ Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. It is also the second earliest printed map of North America. 

Drawing on Peter Plancius’ groundbreaking 1592 world map, De Jode presents the continent at a pivotal moment in European geographical knowledge. The map combines recent discoveries with enduring speculation, depicting a prominent Northwest Passage, the phantom islands of Frisland, Icaria, and Drogeo, and an expansive Saint Lawrence River extending toward Hochelaga. It is also among the earliest general maps to use the name "Virginia" and the first to identify St. Augustine, while incorporating new information on the Roanoke colony absent from its principal source.

Beyond its geography, the map reflects a new vision for atlas production. Rich decorative engraving, including native figures, dramatic maritime scenes, and extensive Latin annotations, distinguished the Speculum from its competitors and anticipated the richly illustrated atlases of the Dutch Golden Age.

The Speculum, however, failed to break Ortelius’ dominance of the market. After Cornelius’ death in 1600, the engraved copperplates were acquired by Jan Baptist Vrients, Ortelius’ publisher, who almost certainly destroyed them to eliminate a rival. No further editions were printed, making this one of the rarest and most desirable maps of sixteenth-century North America.