WORLD 

 World Maps 

MUNSTER, Sebastian.
[16th C. Woodcut Map of The World]
Typus Orbis Universalis. Basle, Henri Petri, 1552, Latin text edition. Woodcut, coloured, image size 285 x 385mm.
From Munster's version of Ptolemy's 'Geographia', although it is his 'modern' map of the world. It is on an oval projection, surrounded by windheads and with sea-monsters filling the oceans. Of particular interest is the mapping of America, only fifty years after Columbus: although the basic shape of both North and South is recognisable, there are several mistaken assumptions: 'Terra Florida' is connected to the north-east by only a narrow isthmus, based on Verrazzano's mistaken belief that Chesapeake Bay was the Indian Ocean. Greenland is joined on to Scandinavia; and the west coast appears as 'Temistitian', the general name for Mexico, on the far right of the map. In the east, 'Zanzibar', 'Taprobana' and 'Java' are all marked, and 'Zipangu' (Japan) also appears having been visited by Europeans for the first time ten years before. This is an example of the second woodblock world that was cut for the "Cosmographia" and "Geographia", and the initials of the wood engraver, David Kandel, can be seen in the bottom left hand corner. SHIRLEY: World 77.
[Ref: 10990]  

RUSCELLI, Girolamo.
[Ptolemaic World]
Ptolemaei Typus. Venice, Vincenzo Valgrisi, 1562, Latin edition. 185 x 260mm.
Engraved by Sanuto for Ruscelli's 'La Geographi di Claudio Tolomeo'. A feature of this first state is that the platemark runs off the top of the sheet: two maps were printed from the same plate then the resulting sheet cut in half. SHIRLEY: 109.
[Ref: 9203]  

LUTHER, Martin.
[Daniel's Dream World Map]
Der Ander Teil Der Bücher D. Mart. Luth. Darin Alle Streitschrifften... Wittemberg, Peter Seitz, 1569, Folio, original tooled and blind-stamped pigskin over wood boards, with a portrait of Luther on the front cover and the Resurrection on the back, as well as other figural and foliate motifs, with clasps, one snapped; Titlepage printed in red and black with woodcut ill. of John Frederick, Elector of Saxony and Martin Luther kneeling before the crucified Christ, pp. [XII] + 492 one wood engraved map in text. Front paste down with various mms
A very important book in Reformation history, comprising a compilation of Martin Luther's sermons, meditations and exhortations to the various nascent Protestant communities of Europe. On page 459 can be found a fascinating, early and extremely rare map of the world, illustrating the prophet Daniel's apocalyptic dream of the four kingdoms, produced to accompany an interpretation of the book of Daniel by Martin Luther, which linked the vision of Daniel with the assault of the Turks on Christian Europe. The map is a woodcut, showing the four beasts of Daniel's dream and the continents of Europe, Africa and Asia, along with four windheads, the Turks can be seen heavily armed and clustered in the mountains of Asia. A fascinating graphical depiction of the World, based upon Ptolemy, but with all of Africa shown and an open water passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
[Ref: 10957]  

BELLEFOREST, François de.
[A Scarce Woodcut Version of the Ortelius World Map]
Typus Orbis Terrarum. Description universelle de tout le Monde. Paris, Michael Somnius, 1575. Coloured. Woodcut, image size 345 x 500mm. A very good example with wide margins.
Belleforest's work 'Cosmographie Universelle' was a French version of Munster's Cosmography, although he copied this map from Ortelius' 1570 world map, with the extra bulge in South America. With only two editions, both 1575, this map is far rarer than the Ortelius map. Despite being a woodcut it retains most of the detail of Ortelius' map, also reproducing the decorative cloud border. SHIRLEY: 135.
[Ref: 10107]  

ORTELIUS, Abraham.
[An early edition of a classic 16th Century World Map in contemporary colours]
Typus Orbis Terrarum. Antwerp, c.1575, Latin text. Original colour. 340 x 495mm. Very fine condition.
Printed from the first plate of three that Ortelius used to print his world map. The plate was cracked almost immediately and went through five states before being discarded. This is the second state, with the impression of the bolts used to hold the crack in place. The map is on an oval projection, and shows extensive land masses at the north and south poles, the latter named " Terra Australis Nondum Cognita " , South America has a distinctive bulge (removed in the third state of the second plate). VAN DER BROECKE: 1.2.
[Ref: 11579]  

ORTELIUS, Abraham.
[16th Century Classic World Map]
Typus Orbis Terrarum. Antwerp, 1579, Latin text. Original colour. 340 x 495mm. Lower centerfold reinforced.
The first plate of three that Ortelius used to print his world map. The plate was cracked almost immediately and went through five states before being discarded. This is the third state, with some re-working of the clouds. The map is on an oval projection, and shows extensive land masses at the north and south poles and South America has a distinctive bulge (removed in the third state of the second plate). VAN DER BROECKE: 1.3
[Ref: 9368]  

ORTELIUS, Abraham.
[A classic world map]
Typus Orbis Terrarum. Antwerp, 1579, Latin text. Coloured. 340 x 495mm.
Printed from the first plate of three that Ortelius used to print his world map. The plate was cracked almost immediately and went through five states before being discarded. This is the second state, with the impression of the bolts used to hold the crack in place. The map is on an oval projection, and shows extensive land masses at the north and south poles and South America has a distinctive bulge (removed in the third state of the second plate). VAN DER BROECKE: 1.2.
[Ref: 3997]  

ORTELIUS, Abraham.
[An early edition of a classic 16th century world map in contemporary colour]
Typus Orbis Terrarum. Antwerp, c.1575, Latin text. Original colour. 340 x 495mm. Minor repairs at center fold.
Original antique map of the world from the famous Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by Ortelius, the first regularly produced world atlas. Printed from the first plate of three that Ortelius used to print his world map. The copper was cracked almost immediately in the bottom left corner and went through five states before being discarded and replaced by a brand new re-engraved plate. This is the fourth state (of six according to van der Broecke), with the crack improved. Ortelius's projection is oval, and shows extensive land masses at the north and south poles, the latter named 'Terra Australis Nondum Cognita', South America has a distinctive bulge (removed in the third state of the second plate). A classic map collector's item. VAN DER BROECKE: 1.4..
[Ref: 12789]  

MERCATOR, Rumold.
[Rumold Mercator's famous antique world map]
Orbis Terrae Compendiosa Descriptio... Druisburg, c.1587, blank verso. Coloured with gold highlights. 285 x 515mm. Binding folds flattened, a few small repairs, very good impression
In 1587 Rumold Mercator issued this reduced version of his father's great double-hemisphere world map, which was first issued in an edition of Strabo's Geography and, according to Shirley, may have been issued separately. It first appeared in a Mercator atlas eight years later, in 1595, but as this example has no text on the reverse it is unlikely to have come from an atlas. It is an early eample, with no signs of the cracks in the that developed in the top of the plate from 1603. On the map California is shown as part of the mainland, the distinctive bulge in South America and the kingdoms of Beach, Lucach and Maletur as part of the Terra Australis. It has strapwork borders, with a compass rose and an armillary sphere in the cusps. SHIRLEY: World 157, "a model of clarity and neatness";.
[Ref: 12330]  

STRABO.
[Greek title]. Strabonis Rerum Geographicarum Librii XVII. Isaacus Casabonus recensuit, summoque studio & diligentia, ope etiam veterum codicum, emendauit, ac Commentariis illustrauit... Geneva, Eustathius Vignon, 1587. Folio, full calf (early C18th?), rubbed, gilt-decorated spine with some worming; wood-engraved title, creased, some small holes and ink deletions; pp. (vi) + 602 (inc. index) (text in Greek, index in Latin); wood-engraved title, pp. (vi) + 223; folding map of the world by Rumold Mercator, 'Orbis Terrae Compensiosa Descriptio', dated 1587.
Two texts, Strabo's Geography and Casaubon's commentary on Strabo. The world map appears here for the first time, predating its use in the Mercator atlases. The detail comes from Gerard Mercator's 21-sheet world map, the first to use the flat projection to be named after Mercator, but Rumold has reverted to the double-hemisphere format, with a strapwork border, armillary sphere and compass rose. However the distinctive bulge in South America was retained. SHIRLEY: World, 157, illus. 'The engraving is a model of clarity and neatness...'
[Ref: 5482]