ONE of the world’s first printed atlases, containing a distorted map of Britain and Ireland has sold for £80,600 in London.
Cosmographia, based on the works of the second century Greco-Roman astrologer and geographer Ptolemy, sold today for around £10,000 more than its lowest estimated price of £70,000 at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury in Mayfair.
The rare map was sold by a private collector, who had inherited it, and was sold to a private overseas buyer who had placed a bid via telephone.
The atlas was only turned into a printed illustration in 1490.
It was one of the most expensive items sold at today’s auction at Bloomsbury House, along with a complete set of the Brontë sisters' novels in first edition, which was auctioned for £90,000.
