[Cartography] Atlas Ortelius 1575

Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Abraham Ortelius, Antwerpen, Gillis van den Rade, 1575. Folio, rebound in contemporary blind-stamped calf gilt, complete with 70 maps in fine colour heightened with gold, Latin text edition, 7 maps reinforced with contemporary paper, not affecting the maps.

An early example of the world's first regularly-produced atlas, with uniform maps and text designed to be bound; published only five years after the first edition. In that time the number of maps had increased from 53 to 70 and the text had been enlarged with the inclusion of the "Synonymia Locorum" and "De Mona driudum Insula" (Welshman Humphrey Llwyd's letter to Ortelius about the druids of Anglesey. Ref. Van den Broecke p.25 and Koeman/Vanderkrogt 31:013.