“These are minutely detailed maps showing plains, plateaus, hills, mountains, based on air photographs, presenting a new, real portrait of the face of the Earth.” – Accompanying text. This ephemeral sheet advertises the prices for nearly forty different landform maps designed by the talented cartographer, Erwin Raisz. Updated prices as of May 1, 1976 range from 20 cents/apiece to $1.80, with wholesale discounts available for the lithographed reprints. Handwritten annotations note that #1 and #12 (Canada and Europe) are out of print and that postage runs $1.75 and up (with tube). No returns! Erwin Raisz (1893 – 1968) was a Hungarian-born cartographer and engineer during World War I. After emigrating and earning a Phd. at Columbia, Raisz taught as a professor for Harvard’s (former) Institute of Geographical Exploration for over two decades, introducing the first official cartography class into the curriculum. He revolutionized the field of geography with his intricate, hand-drawn physiographic maps. Departing from traditional contour lines or simple symbols, the unique illustrated landform system used artistic shading and lined textures to provide a realistic, 3D-like view of the Earth’s surface.
