Colton's new map of the State of Texas, compiled from J. De Cordova's large map., undated

This cartographic collection was the gift of the estate of the late Midland oilman, George T. Abell. Mr Abell was interested travel, geography, the geology of the petroleum industry, and the history of the Southwest and the maps reflect these as well as other subjects. The collection contains over a hundred maps which range in date from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Notably, the collection also contains a 1573 copy of Abraham Ortelius's Theatrvm orbis terrarvm, considered by some as the first modern atlas of the world. The collection includes maps of the world, the British Isles, Pacific Ocean, North and South America, The Western Hemisphere, and the United States.