Facsimiles are usually issued as exact copies of old maps, retaining the original scale and colors. These maps most often are issued as flat map sheets and will be f ound in the collection with other maps of the same geographic area. The Map Collection also contains many works on the history of cartography. These books and atlases are usually fully illustrated with samples of early maps. Antique maps are useful, f or the study of the development of geographical knowledge over time, and for the study of the evolution of mapmaking.
Old maps are also of interest for their artistic qualities.
Many are highly decorative, with elaborate borders, ornate cartouches, anima ls and figures, imaginative sea-monsters, mythical figures, ships, and sea battles. These reproductions can be on microfiche or microfilm, or in the collection as oversize photostats. Rancho Maps provide some of the earliest mapping within the State. Most land grants or rancho maps were hand drawn, often rather crudely. The view above is a portion of Berkeley, CA looking over the campus westward towards San Francisco.