1552 (undated) 1 : 50000000 Description This is an excellent 1552 Latin example of Sebastian Münster's map of America, the first printed map of the Western Hemisphere. The map first appeared in Münster's 1540 edition of Ptolemy's Geographia, one of the earliest versions of the classical work to systematically include maps showing contemporary geographical knowledge. Beginning in 1544, the map would be included in Münster's magnum opus, Cosmographia Universalis, which for over forty years was the primary source for anyone interested in world geography. Consequently, this map had a disproportionate impact, providing the first glimpse of the New World to Europeans for nearly half a century.