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"Promoting A Canal Across The Isthmus of Darien This view of the Isthmus of Darien is a rare and fascinating bird's-eye view map, published by the Société Internationale du Canal Colombien. It depicts the proposed Colombian Canal, a visionary but ultimately unrealized project aimed at creating a sea-level canal across the Isthmus of Darién, connecting the Pacific Ocean (via the Gulf of San Miguel) to the Caribbean Sea (via the Gulf of Urabé). The map, based on surveys conducted by Lucien de Puydt and Fernand Mougel-Bey during scientific expeditions from 1861 to 1866, offers a dramatic and optimistic visualization of the canal route. The view is oriented looking eastward across the isthmus, emphasizing the 153 kilometer proposed canal route, which would have been entirely within the United States of Colombia (modern-day Panama and Colombia). Notably, the project proposed a sea-level canal with "no tunnels or locks" (sans tunnels ni écluses), suggesting a straightforward and rapid transit route. This ambitious design was conceived during an era of intense international competition to secure a viable interoceanic passage, reflecting the geopolitical and economic importance of such a connection for global trade. The map captures the challenges and opportunities of the route, cutting through the Darién Gap, a dense and rugged jungle region that remains one of the most inhospitable stretches in the Americas. The Darién Gap, famously the only interruption in the Pan-American Highway, underscores the extreme difficulty of such an undertaking. While the map portrays the project with optimism, the reality of the terrain and technical limitations of the time proved insurmountable. In 1879, an international conference organized by the Société de Géographie de Paris evaluated competing canal proposals, ultimately selecting Ferdinand de Lesseps' Panama Canal project over the Colombian Canal. Construction of the Panama Canal began under French supervision in 1881 and was later completed by the United States in 1914, bypassing the Colombian Canal entirely. Rarity The map is very rare on the market. This is the first example we have offered in over 30 years (1992-2024). Lucien De Puydt Biography Lucien de Puydt was a French scholar who conducted explorations on the Panama Isthmus between 1861 and 1865. During this period, he studied the indigenous peoples of the region, including the Cunas (now commonly referred to as the Guna or Kuna). His work focused on documenting aspects of their language and culture. In 1868, he published a paper on the subject with the Royal Geographic Society of London. Carl Hermann Berendt (1817–1878), a German-American linguist and ethnographer, took notes on de Puydt’s 1868 publication. Berendt reorganized de Puydt’s vocabulary lists, including terms for numbers, and incorporated them into his own linguistic studies of indigenous languages." (Ruderman, 2024)

Outline hand color map. Includes 3 profile diagrams., Physical and political atlas of the world, by Adrien Hubert Brue, containing maps of ancient and modern geography. Published in Paris, by J. Goujon, Geographer-Editor. Unusual edition of Brue's Atlas, complete with its 36 maps on heavy paper, dated between 1762 and 1825 and supplementary 8 maps, in addition to the 36 plates. including: Comparative and figurative table of the height of the main mountains … 1829; La Palestine 1767; 3 plates from an atlas of Africa (nos. 1, 3 and 2); Plate no. 59 United States of Mexico, 1830, and plates nos. 64-65, South America, 1828-1830. Maps are engraved hand color in outline. Most maps double page, with title cartouche, some on multiple plates. Showing political and administrative boundaries, cities, towns, roads, exploration routes, rovers, canals and mountains. Relief shown by hachures and pictorially. Depth shown by soundings. Prime meridian: Ferro and Paris.

Color map. Engraved by E. Guillot. Shows administrative boundaries, capitals, cities, towns, rivers, roads, and railways. Relief shown by hachures and shadings. Includes Index and legend. Prime meridian is Paris., Atlas of America, 24 pages of text and 17 color maps. Engraved by E. Guillot. Printed by Dufrenoy (Firm) and published by Garnier Freres. Maps printed on single or double page, showing political and administrative boundaries, capitals, cities, towns, rivers, roads and railways. Relief shown by hachures and shadings. Includes index and table of contents. Bound in half leather hard cover beige paper with title "Atlas de America" in gilt on spine and pictorial back cover.