Claude Buffier was a Jesuit theologian and geographer working in Paris, who wrote the Geographie Universelle, first issued in about 1715. The Geographie was issued as a pocket-sized volume, illustrated with a set of maps.
The volume proved very popular, and numerous editions were published in Paris, Naples and Rome. The book was evidently targeted at the popular market, and for this reason examples of the book tend to be printed on relatively poor quality paper, and this is particularly true of the Italian editions.
Evidently there were a large number of different sets of map plates used – so far 17 different plates or states of plates have been identified for the Americas map, some engraved anonymously, and other signed by Hendrick van Loon, Faure, Denise Macquart and Dom. Dell’Acerra
Unfortunately, it has been frequent practice to disperse such volumes, so the origin of several of these plates has not yet been identified, and the editor would be grateful to hear from readers about editions of the book, particularly those containing maps engraved by Denise Macquart and Dom. Dell’Acerra.
Locations of features on the map are marked to a notional grid:
1 – 5 horizontally, a – e vertically. “ob” signifies outside border
