Fresh Ink: A Biography of a Map in Motion by Christian J. Koot

Congratulations to former fellow Christian J. Koot (Jeannette D. Black Memorial Fellow, 2011-12) on the publication of his book A Biography of a Map in Motion: Augustine Herrman's Chesapeake (New York University Press, December 2017). The map in question, Virginia and Maryland as it is Planted and Inhabited this present Year 1670, was published in London in 1673 and is considered one of the best maps of the Chesapeake region. The JCB purchased one of only five known copies of the map in 1930. In his insightful book, Koot explores the complex life of the mapmaker Augustine Herrman, who was also a merchant, planter, and diplomat, and examines the earliest phase of American mapmaking. At the same time, he traces the “life” of the map, from its creation to its circulation and use in colonial power struggles. Koot’s work sheds light on how Dutch, English, and Native people sought to make sense of the Chesapeake region within the context of the wider Atlantic world.