One of the greatest treasures in The New York Public Library’s collection is a hollow copper globe, just 112 mm in diameter.

This striking terrestrial globe dates to approximately 1510 and bears a strong resemblance to the Globus Jagellonicus housed at the Collegium Maius Museum in Krakow. What makes the Hunt-Lenox Globe unique is that it is one of only two known instances of a historical map using the phrase “HC SVNT DRACONES” (“here be dragons”).

The Hunt-Lenox Globe is recognized as one of the oldest terrestrial globes, and the oldest to depict the Americas. Purchased “for a song” in Paris in 1855 by American architect Richard Morris Hunt, it was at first seen as a mere novelty. It wasn’t until bookdealer Henry Stevens noted its significance that Hunt donated the globe to the Lenox Library—James Lenox’s vast collection of paintings, books and other artifacts—for which he was the chief architect.

Today, the Hunt-Lenox Globe is a part of The New York Public Library’s Rare Book Division.

The New York Public Library's collections contain millions of prints, photographs, maps, objects, manuscripts, and posters. Many of the items in our vast archives are accessible online - learn more at digitalcollections.nypl.org.

Product: Softcover Lined Page Journal

Pages: Midi 176 / Ultra 176

Material: 100% recycled binder boards / Decorative printed cover paper / FSC-certified writing paper derived from sustainable forest pulp

Dim: Midi 5" x 7" / Ultra 7" x 9"

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