On Friday 19 September at 10.30 am, two world-renowned antique map collectors met at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, Malta’s capital. They were 90 year old Dr. Albert Ganado, whose Malta map collection was exchanged with the Malta Government for his 1571 house, and 80 year old Glen McLaughlin, whose collection of “California As An Island Maps” was recently part sold/part donated to Stanford University, California for the enjoyment of the general public. Both collectors took over 50 years to form their collections.
During the visit, Ganado showed Mclaughlin several siege maps of Malta and explained in his usual erudite and flowing manner the various states and editions which were published in connection with the Great Siege of Malta of 1565. They narrated several episodes and anecdotes on how they had acquired certain maps in their prospective collections. Then McLaughlin was shown a map of America by Jean de Beauvais published in Paris in 1788 and it was his turn to fill all those who attended the meeting with his wisdom on America in general and California in particular, and how it was the Jesuit Rev. Eusebio Kino who finally ended the myth of California as an island.
The truly enjoyable meeting ended with the presentation by Dr Albert Ganado of two Malta Map Society publications, German Malta Maps and The Early Maltese Cartographers to Glen McLaughlin followed by a drink at the Osborne Hotel which is the oldest hotel in the capital city of Valletta.