The accompanying map was designed by an “expert” 17th Century geographer and shows California as an island. This was a long accepted “fact” from the early 16th Century to around 1775. This map was not an isolated instance by one mapmaker. You can go on the Internet and search for California as an Island and find many similar maps.

I have always been interested in maps. One of my favorite maps is at the New York Historical Society showing New York City before the whole area around Battery Park was filled in with landfills increasing the acreage there. I saw it when I was in high school and try to look at it each time I go there. I also go online to look at antique map auction catalogs but never buy one. Too expensive, don’t want to invest in them, don’t have wall space to hang them assuming my wife would even let me, and too hard to store the paper collectible.

About five years ago I read a fascinating book The Map Thief: The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps by Michael Blanding . It was a true story and while I didn’t know any of the people in the book, I knew who all of them were and had seen their catalogs throughout the years. The book delves into the antique map business and also, at that time, the almost complete laxity of security and control over those precious maps.

About 10 years ago my wife and I read Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein which has an understory about the Waldseemüller map that gave America its name. As circumstances developed we went to Washington, DC a few weeks afterward for a short sightseeing weekend. On that trip we went to the Library of Congress and WOW!!! They had the two versions of the Waldseemüller maps published about 9 years apart – in 1507 and 1516. We spent quite a bit of time there, Fascinating!. I also recommend stopping at the LOC when you start traveling again.



Anyway, back to California Island. I have always had an interest in advertising, advertising history, the business of advertising and the creative aspects. I still read Advertising Age weekly which I started when I was about 18. Anyway, I saw on eBay an old ad by Young & Rubicam showing California as an island. I liked the picture of the map (which accompanies this blog) and it wasn’t too pricy. Actually, it was cheap, so I ordered it to use in a speech or blog at some point, so here it is! I originally thought I would crop it and just show the map, but the ad copy is pretty cool and still relevant, so I left it as is. If you want to see the map better, you can enlarge it on the photo editor on your computer.

I previously posted a related blog about naming America.

And who says accountants are dull?

If you have any business or financial issues you want to discuss please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected].


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