See Thousands of Antique Maps and Collect a Piece of History at the 22nd Annual Miami International Map Fair

The Miami International Map Fair, the longest continuously running map fair in the world, returns to HistoryMiami February 6-8, 2015. The 22nd Annual Miami International Map Fair will feature over 40 national and international antiquarian map dealers from all over the world, exhibiting over thousands of rare, authentic antique maps within the museum’s exhibition galleries.

A Very Rare Map Showing Fort Mose in Florida: The Destination of the First Underground Railroad, Tomas López y Vargas Machuca, Madrid, 1783. (Photo: Business Wire)

For $20 daily admission fee, visitors will be able to see beautiful, historically significant maps from the 19th century to the 21st century, all available for examination and purchase. Throughout the weekend, map dealers will also offer expert opinions to visitors. The fair also features a series of guest lecturers including: Jacqueline V. Nolan, cartographer and GIS specialist with the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Richard H. Brown, map collector and vice chairman of the Norman Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library, and William B. Ginsberg, collectors, scholar and author of various books in Nordic history.

“HistoryMiami is proud to host one of the largest and enduring map fairs in the world, highlighting an ever-growing admiration for international and rare maps,” Ramiro Ortiz, President/Chief Executive Officer for HistoryMiami. “This event is perfect for anyone interested in history, someone wanting to learn where their family originated, or indulging in travel fantasies!”

Among the maps available at the Map Fair, highlights will include the Reynold’s political map of the United States designed to exhibit the comparative area of the free and slave states (ca. 1856), one of the most beautiful Age of Discovery maps of any part of the world, Theodore de Bry's highly decorative and magnificently engraved map of the West Indies, Florida and northern South America, Occidentalis Americae Partis, and the famous “Peutinger Table,” or Roman road map of the world, from the Parergon by Abraham Ortelius (1624).

Daily admission:

$20 for adults, $15 for HistoryMiami members, $10 for university students with ID

Fair hours:

Sat., Feb. 7, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sun., Feb. 8, 12 - 5 p.m.

Location:

HistoryMiami

101 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL

Free parking:

Miami-Dade County Cultural Center Parking Garage

50 NW 2 Avenue, Miami, FL

More information:

www.historymiami.org/visit/map-fair

The Miami International Map Fair sponsors include Miami-Dade County and BrandsMart U.S.A. Sponsorship, advertising, and underwriting opportunities are still available, please contact 305-375-1618 or email mapfair@historymiami.org for more information.

About HistoryMiami

HistoryMiami, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through education, research, collections, exhibitions, history city tours, and publications. Visit www.historymiami.org to learn more.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20150127006525/en/