Early maps of Florida at the book fair

 

By Charlie Neuschafer, of New World Maps 

We will be exhibiting a collection of early maps of Florida at the 2026 book fair in St. Petersburg.

Here’s a brief description of one of the maps:

Large-format nautical chart of the coastal waters of Florida by Thomas Jefferys, published in London in 1775. It is richly annotated with soundings, shoreline features, and historical notes, including a depiction of the Spanish Treasure Fleet and its route from Veracruz, Mexico, to Havana, around Florida, and then through the Bahamas to take advantage of the Gulf Stream current on the return journey to Europe.

Thomas Jefferys (c. 1719 – 1771), "Geographer to King George III", was an English cartographer who was the leading map supplier of his day. He engraved and printed maps for government and other official bodies and produced a wide range of commercial maps and atlases, especially of North America. This map measures more than 48 inches across and was issued in Jefferys’ West India Atlas.

This handsome, original antique map is in excellent condition, archivally mounted and framed. It is from the personal collection of publishing magnate William Bernard Ziff, Jr. and had hung on the wall at Ziff’s sprawling Gemini estate, which straddled the barrier island in Manalapan, just south of Palm Beach, a property that was sold four years ago to billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison in Florida's largest residential sale ever.

This map will be part of the collection of early maps of Florida on exhibit in Booth 39 at the 2026 book fair in St. Petersburg.