A Map of New England
Woodcut; [Boston: printed by John Foster, 1677]
31 cm x 40 cm; "White Hills" version
This map, the first known to be published in North America, has perplexed bibliographers for centuries. It is attributed to John Foster, believed to be the only man in Boston who made woodcuts during that period. The map appeared in William Hubbard's Narrative of the Troubles with the Indians in 1677. Another version of the map, with one notable difference, was inserted in the London edition of Hubbard's work, published within months of the Boston edition. The American edition contains the "White Hills" map, while in the other version the White Hills of New Hampshire are identified as the "Wine Hills." Historians still struggle to determine the order in which the maps were printed, and whether or not they were both cut by John Foster, but there is no question that this version of the map is unique.
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