"Nice full color example of the first separate map of Asia. Munster based his maps on Ptolemy's Geographia, with significant updates and changes. Much of the information for this map of Asia came from the Travels of Marco Polo, written while Polo was in prison in 1298. This work told of Polo's travels with his father and uncle to China in 1275, and it had a immense impact on the conception of Asia held by Europeans through the sixteenth century. The map contains many inaccuracies reflecting the lack of good, first-hand explorations of Asia. The Indian sub-continent is shown too small, whereas in contrast Southeast Asia is beginning to be depicted somewhat correctly. Ceylon, once shown as a very large island, is now more its proper size, though two islands are shown in the immediate area. The old misconception concerning Ceylon is still reflected on this map, however, for the ancient name for the island, "Taprobane," is applied to Sumatra, an island more in scale with Ptolemy's idea of Taprobane. Munster extends the continent off the eastern edge of the map, so as not to commit on whether Asia was or was not connected with North America, despite his own map of America showing it as a separate land mass. Marco Polo's information was not all an improvement on Ptolemy. He introduced several geographic misconceptions, including one that put a 7,448 island archipelago off the coast of China, a misconception shown here by Munster with a scattering of islands and a legend giving their number. Besides its historic interest, this map has much visual appeal as well, with mole hill mountains, crenelated walls and towers to show cities, and Neptune and a huge sea monster in the ocean..."