Atlas Maior

The Atlas Maior (or Atlas Novus, as earlier editions were called) is a comprehensive world atlas, conceived by Willem Blaeu of Amsterdam, but compiled by his son Joan Blaeu, and completed in 1665. The original work consisted of eleven volumes, in Latin, containing 594 maps.

The full title Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, sive, Atlas novus refers to the earlier Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by Ortelius, published in 1570.

Included into Volume 10 of the work, published in 1655, (bound into the physical volume, but with separate page numbering) was Martino Martini's Novus Atlas Sinensis, followed by Jacobus Golius' paper identifying Marco Polo's Cathay as China.

Contents

Modern reproductions

A modern reproduction, containing nearly eight hundred pages and weighing 7.0 kilograms is published by Taschen at 200 dollars. The replica was created from the copy currently housed in the Austrian National Library at Vienna.

There is also a lower cost ~419 page version (also based on the Taschen version, with introduction & notes by Peter Van Der Krogt) published by Barnes & Noble for about $20–30.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ Joan Blaeu (2006 Sep). Atlas Maior of 1665. New York: Barnes & Noble. ISBN 9780760782064. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Atlas-Maior-of-1665/Joan-Blaeu/e/9780760782064. Retrieved 2009 10 31. 

External links