Empirical Knowledge $550,000

“An extraordinarily rare cartographic document, Complete Geographical Map of the Everlasting Unified Qing Empire is based on research originally presented to the Qianlong emperor by Huang Qianren in 1767,” says London raremap dealer Daniel Crouch. The large woodcut map from 1811 was printed in 16 sections on eight sheets of paper, each of which was originally mounted on a scroll. The title of the map, he explains, is as much a political program of the Qing as it is a geographical record. “It shows China in grand scale at the height of the Qing empire, with foreign nations and trading partners marginalized and miniaturized at the edges of its realm.” crouchrarebooks.com

—JOHANNES KEPLER “I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.”