About : Antique Maps, Virtual fair

I am Robert Putman, Amsterdam based antiquarian map & book dealer. I am the organizer of the Virtual Antique Map fair, now the VIRTUAL ANTIQUE & RARE ART on PAPER – MAP - GLOBE & BOOK FAIR.

I started my career as antiquarian map and book dealer when in 1976 I opened a shop in the Graven Straat in Amsterdam, 50 meters from the spot where once the presses of the famous Blaeu firm were located, until the disastrous fire of 1672 made an end to its activities. In 1983 I decided to close my shop and to work from private premises, concentrating on attending the international map trade and the initiated collector. For 15 years I issued catelogues. With the coming of the internet my stock went on-line. I always did and still do believe in quality, both in the material and the service one offers. Attending your customers in a fair way and mutual trust are important factors when selling by catelogues and internet. Few customers misused my trust, I hope few customers felt their trust in me unfounded. If asked for a specialty, I admit sea-charts. As a young man I was an officer, both in the merchant marine and the Royal Dutch Navy and interest in the sea started my career as an antiquarian. In 1983 I wrote a book, titled “Early Sea Charts”-since long out of print- in 2005 followed by a book about 17^th century Dutch sea-charts, called ‘Nederlandse Zeekaarten in de Gouden Eeuw’(Dutch Sea-Charts From the Seventeenth Century). I hope to be able to offer my services to you for the years to come.

Dear Visitor of the VIRTUAL FAIR,

THE VIRTUAL ANTIQUE & RARE ART on PAPER – MAP - GLOBE & BOOK FAIR focuses exclusively on the collector of rare books, globes & instruments, atlases & maps and prints, drawings and water-colours on paper.

Started originally as an antique map fair in October 2008, the Virtual Fair has been enlarged with sections ‘ART on PAPER’, 'GLOBES & INSTRUMENTS' and ‘RARE BOOKS’, widening the scope of the Virtual Fair considerable. The site appears permanently on the internet. The home page gives general information and shows a list of the antiquarian dealers who participate in the fair.

For your convenience the books, globes and prints / drawings are organized per category, the maps are organized per category and geographical region. You can find fast and easily all maps, books and prints / watercolours offered in the VIRTUAL FAIR that are of interest to you. Of course you can search with the fair's search engine in the total of the dealer's offerings, but you can also brows for the unexpected as you would do when you visit a 'real-world' fair. Nearly all items' description have one or more pictures of the item.

You can contact the dealer who offers an item by clicking on the button ‘CONTACT DEALER’ in the description of the item. You may also enjoy to peruse his stock as well as the stock of his colleague dealers. In this way you can visit the VIRTUAL ANTIQUE & RARE ART on PAPER – MAP - GLOBE & BOOK FAIR without the costs of traveling, hotels, etc. that goes with visiting a ‘real world’ fair

Subscribe as Collector Member by sending your name and e-mail address.

It is my hope that you will enjoy visiting the VIRTUAL FAIR and make it a success.

Robert Putman