At this year’s Hong Kong Antiquarian Book Fair ‘China in Print’ (22nd to 24th November at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum), London-based dealer Daniel Crouch Rare Books will present a selection of important maps of Asia - including the first map to name Hong Kong and the first map of China.

As well as showcasing the first map to indicate Hong Kong as an island, A Collection of Charts and Memoirs, by Alexander Dalrymple, Daniel Crouch Rare Books will present A Chart of the China Sea, published in 1774 by Laurie and Whittle (£10,000). This map is the second state of the earliest printed British Maritime Chart to show Hong Kong, and includes a fascinating depiction of Hong Kong divided into two islands, with a narrow channel between the two land masses.

Also of interest are the seventeen maps which make up the first western atlas devoted to China. Novus Atlas Sinensis, published by Joan Blaeu is noteworthy for its accuracy, remarkable for the time, but also for their highly decorative cartouches featuring vignettes depicting regional dress, activities and animals.

Daniel Crouch says ‘We are returning to China in Print as we are experiencing a boom in printed maps of China and Southeast Asia. For example: an Ortelius map of China sold for about £2,000 ten years ago. It is now about £5,000-6,000, and will no doubt cross the £10k mark before too long. The market for Asian maps is very healthy so we are excited to bring our new acquisitions to Hong Kong once again.’

Notes to the Editors:
Daniel Crouch Rare Books is a specialist dealer in antique atlases, maps, plans, sea charts and voyages dating from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The gallery is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm.

China in Print is now in its third year and will bring together 26 exhibitors from around the world. It will take place 22nd-24th November 2014, at Hong Kong’s Maritime Museum, Central Ferry Pier No. 8, Man Kwong Street, Central, Hong Kong.

For further information, images or to arrange an interview please contact:
Freya Simms/ Elizabeth Dellert/ Emma Double– Gong Muse PR
E: muse@gongmuse.com
W: www.gongmuse.com

Daniel Crouch – Daniel Crouch Rare Books
E: daniel@crouchrarebooks.com
W: www.crouchrarebooks.com
A: 4 Bury Street, London, SW1Y 6AB