In 1961 funds were donated in memory of a former faculty member, Dr. Gilbert Norman Tucker (1898-1955), to set up a collection of historical maps, with emphasis on French Canada and the Pacific. Dr. Tucker, a native of Vancouver, was a professor of Canadian history at UBC from 1948 until his death. He helped the University Library to develop the best collection of history and literature of French Canada west of Montreal, and he was working on a critical study of the historians of French Canada when he died. His widow, Frances Tucker, became interested in the project to establish an historical cartography collection, and her sister, Mrs. E. T. Rogers, Sr., provided the initial funds and some later donations. This provided an opportunity to begin the development of a more general collection of historical cartography, with emphasis on North America.
With the advice of Professors Coolie Verner and A. L. Farley, Basil Stuart-Stubbs, then head of Special Collections, was able to develop a representative collection of the work of many important cartographers prior to 1850, such as Ortelius, Mercator, Jansson, Jaillot, Robert de Vaugondy, Delisle, Bellin, Jefferys, Faden and the Arrowsmiths. Dr. Farley, a professor of Geography, wrote his doctoral dissertation on the historical cartography of British Columbia, and published two atlases on the province. Basil Stuart-Stubbs was University Librarian from 1964 to 1981 when he became Director of the School of Librarianship. He collaborated with Dr. Verner, a professor of Adult Education whose avocation was the history of cartography, on The Northpart of America, a cartographical history of Canada which was published a few days before Verner's death[1] in 1979.
As most of the important atlases were already beyond our means, a policy was established to acquire as many facsimile atlases and maps, and historical cartography literature as possible, as they were published. All the atlases published by Theatrum Orbis Terrarum and much of the literature reprinted by Meridian Press were acquired as well as all the facsimile maps we could find, until the volume of reprints rose and the availability of funds diminished, forcing a more selective acquisitions policy to be adopted.
Coolie Verner added a number of interesting items over the years, culminating with the bequest of his library, map collection and papers in 1979. His map collection, consisting of some 400 maps, including originals and some photocopies, has been used in research for the Glenbow-Alberta Institute exhibition[2] on the opening of the Canadian West. In addition, Dr. Verner provided for a trust fund to assist in the development of the collection.
Two significant collections have been donated to Special Collections in the past decade. The L. Stanley Deane Collection of about 300 maps, plus books and atlases, was received in 1994. The maps include works by such notable cartographers as Blaeu, Robert de Vaugondy, Jansson, and Hondius. Two atlases donated by Dr. Deane are composite world atlases by John Senex, published ca. 1708-1711, and Vincenzo Coronelli, published ca. 1650-1718. In 1998 Dr. Miguel P. and Julia G. Tecson donated their collection of maps and prints of the Philippines. The collection contained about 120 maps, including works by Bellin, Bonne, and Robert de Vaugondy.
Bibliographic Access:
The maps (and atlases) are catalogued and appear in the Library's online catalogue.
Individual acquisitions have been classified, but maps in the large collections, such as Verner, Deane and Tecson, are kept together as a collection, using the collectors name rather than a classification number, e.g. Deane map 104.
Publications Describing Collection:
Woodward, Frances. "Cartographic collections at the University of British Columbia Library," Archivaria, no. 13 (Winter 1981-82), pp. 99-117, ill. CD1 .A73 n. 13.
Footnotes:
1. For an obituary, see Edward H. Dahl, "Professor Coolie Verner 1917-1979", Cartographica, v. 17 (Spring 1980): 118-120; for a bibliography of his work, see Frances Woodward, "Coolie Verner's publications relating to the history of cartography and carto-bibliography", Cartographica, v. 17 (Spring 1980): 120-122; for a review, see Edward H. Dahl and Conrad E. Heidenreich, "A critical analysis of The Northpart of America, a facsimile atlas of early Canadian maps", Cartographica, v. 17 (Spring 1980): 1-23.
2. Javorski, Mary. The Canadian West Discovered: an exhibition of printed maps from the early 16th to early 20th centuries. Calgary: Glenbow Museum, 1983. 75p., ill.
Date: April 2000