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Map Collection

Northern Illinois University holds an extensive collection of rare and historical maps from all over the world from the 16th through 19th centuries. There is a special emphasis on maps from Southeast Asia. We continue to add materials to this collection. To see which particular titles we own, please search our online catalog. Many of our maps have been scanned and are available online, in our Links section below.

Highlights of this collection include William Winterbotham's An Accurate Map of the United States of America (1783);China (1660); Fretum Magellani (1610) and India Orientalis, (1630) by Gerhard Mercator;Germaniae Veteris Typus (1545);India orientalis et insulae adiecentes (1646) by Matthaeus Merian; Nuova carta delle Isole di Sunda, come Borneo, Sumatra e Iava Grande (1735); and a 1600 map of Picardy, France.

Maps available online (organized by country or area)

• Asia
• Burma
• China
• Anjouan (Comoros)
• Europe
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Pacific Islands
• Philippines
• South America
• Southeast Asia
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• West Indies

Map Collection Links

• David Rumsey Collection (Private map collector's site)
• First Printing: The Antique Maps and Prints Blog
• History of Cartography Gateway
• James Ford Bell Library (University of Minnesota).
• Map Collections: 1500-1999 (Library of Congress)
• Online Rare Map Resources (RareMaps.com, a retailer of rare maps)
• Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (University of Texas at Austin)
• Rare Map Collection (Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library) University of Georgia Libraries
• The Map Room