Atlas maior of 1665

Koln: Taschen, 2010. Hardcover. As New. Printed image paper covered boards, similarly7 printed dustjacket. 593 pp., profusely illustrated with vivid color reproductions of original maps and illustrations, a few folding. Measures 45 x 30 x 6.5 cm. shipping weight is 16 pounds. Texts and translations presented in English, German and French. Three and a half centuries before Google Maps there was... Joan Blaeu's atlas, the finest ever published The finest and most comprehensive baroque atlas was Joan Blaeu's exceptional Atlas Maior, completed in 1665. The original 11-volume Latin edition, containing 536 maps, put Blaeu ahead of his staunch competitor, mapmaker Johannes Janssonius, whose rivalry inspired Blaeu to produce a grandiose edition of the largest and most complete atlas to date. Covering Arctica, Europe, Africa, Asia, and America, Blaeu's Atlas Maior was a remarkable achievement and remains to this day one of history's finest examples of mapmaking. This reprint is made from the National Library of Vienna's complete, colored, gold-heightened copy, thus assuring the best possible detail and quality. The book's introduction, by the University of Utrecht's Peter van der Krogt, discusses the historical and cultural context and significance of the atlas; Krogt also provides detailed descriptions of the maps, allowing modern readers to fully appreciate Blaeu's masterwork.