Finely coloured map of Oxfordshire from the ca 1614 edition of John Speed’s “Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain” published by Sudbury & Humble. Considered to be one of the most sought after of Speed’s county maps, it is surely the most decorative map of Oxfordshire. The map contains a plan of Oxford with a key to 28 important locations in the town, a vignette of two scholars studying a terrestrial globe and the coats of arms of the colleges of Oxford University with the approximate dates of their founding below. The map is dated in 1605 and, as a result, it does not include the arms of Wadham College, which had not yet been completed. Also included is the royal coat of arms surrounded by a lion and unicorn. A description of the county appears on the verso in English. The map has tight side margins and a printer’s crease near the bottom centrefold; otherwise a lovely, strong, dark impression from an early edition in excellent condition. 38 cm x 52.5 cm