Material / Image Research Lab (MIRL)

A real estate  agent with a sharp eye has saved a treasure trove of maps from a Los Angeles home set for demolition.  As reported in the LA Times today, the agent was tasked with clearing out the house so it could be torn down, and came upon thousand and thousands of maps.  The occupant, who died in February, had been quietly collecting maps for many years and stashing them in every nook and cranny.   They included every kind of map of the LA region going back many decades, several copies of the Thomas Guide first edition, as well as a 1592 map of Europe.  The Library staff say this windfall will bring their map collection into the calibre of the top five in the country, including the Library of Congress.