Daniel Crouch

On a Tuesday in mid-October, the most expensive map ever to hit the market was sitting on the floor of an empty office on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Daniel Crouch, the rare book and map dealer to whom it had been consigned, stood over it, beaming. "I've handled several [similar] maps in my life," said Crouch. "But never one so gleamingly brillian...

When Urim Osmani opened his auto repair shop in Staten Island on Saturday morning, he was not surprised to see a tawny animal crouching nearby.

On a Tuesday in mid-October, the most expensive map ever to hit the market was sitting on the floor of an empty office on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Daniel Crouch, the rare book and map dealer to whom it had been consigned, stood over it, beaming. "I've handled several [similar] maps in my life," said Crouch. "But never one so gleamingly brillian...

When Urim Osmani opened his auto repair shop in Staten Island on Saturday morning, he was not surprised to see a tawny animal crouching nearby.