Historical maps can be excellent sources for both information about how the world looked in the past and how people in the past viewed their world. The Earth Sciences & Map Library has reproductions, photocopies, and facsimiles for a number of historical maps in addition to cartobibliographies, atlases, and books about historical maps. The Bancroft Library holds the largest collection of historical and manuscript maps on campus.
In the catalog: use the Advanced Keyword Search to search for keywords [place name maps] (e.g., france maps), then use the Year of Publication option to limit by date (e.g., After 1839 and Before 1891 for 1840-1890).
You might also try these subject keyword searches:
Search Melvyl for maps held at other libraries within UC, the Stanford University Libraries, and other libraries worldwide. Please contact the librarian for a consultation if you need maps from another UC/Stanford map library.