HISTORICAL GLOBE OF THE RED PLANET MARS

France, 1898
Inscribed: Globe Géographique de la Planète Mars d’après Camille Flamarion par E. Antoniardi
29.9 × 15.2 cm (incl. base)

Globes have a long history. The oldest surviving terrestrial globe is the ‘Erdapfel’ by Martin Behaim from 1492. The globe offered here is a rare, spherical model of Mars whose purpose is similar to that of a map. The first crude maps of the planet Mars were published in 1840. Nicolas Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), a contemporary of Giovanni Schiaparelli and a French astronomer and author, extensively studied Mars. In 1880 he published the scientific book ‘Popular Astronomy’, and wrote the manuscript ‘Phenomena observed on the planet Mars’. Thanks to observations, he was able to create a detailed Mars globe, published by the prolific Paris firm of E. Bertaux.

Condition:
Surface abrasions, discolouration and rubbing, some small paper loss, some small dents, large dent approx. 2 in. long in Northern Hemisphere.