-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Early maps of Japan online
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 18:11:35 GMT
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
------------------
A Modern View of Historic Japan
UC’s East Asian Library and Map Collector David Rumsey
Provide Online Access to Early Maps of Japan
A rarely seen and fragile collection of historic maps of Japan, some
dating as far back as four centuries, are now available for public
viewing online as the result of a new partnership between the East Asian
Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and private map
collector David Rumsey.
More than two hundred images of early maps of Japan, including examples
of some especially rare woodblock print maps of the city of Edo (now
Tokyo), from UC’s East Asian Library Japanese Historical Map Collection
are represented in the online collection found at
http://www.davidrumsey.com/japan Eventually, the entire map collection
will be scanned by Rumsey and the university, then be placed online, so
it may be viewed by anyone, without charge, at anytime from anywhere in
the world over the Internet.
“This is an amazing and rare collection that would otherwise be
inaccessible to most people,” says Peter Zhou, Director of the East
Asian Library. “Modern technology is allowing us to expand access to
this important collection while at the same time ensuring its
preservation for the future.”
David Rumsey, owner of San Francisco-based Cartography Associates, put
the maps, many that are printed on handmade paper, online. Supporting
online access to the collection is consistent with his goal of providing
a broad range of cultural materials to the public in ways never before
achievable for learning and enjoyment, at the highest level of quality
possible using the Internet.
For most information on this project, including images from the site,
see the University of California Press Release at
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/02/25_asianmaps.shtml
Phil Hoehn, Map Librarian
San Francisco -- [log in to unmask]
-----------------------------------
David Rumsey Collection: http://www.davidrumsey.com
|
