Atlas sive cosmographicae meditationes de fabrica mundi et fabricati figura. [...]. Editio quinta.

2 vol., folio: 1 engr. title (title of vol. 2 missing), 150 (of 156) maps, lavishly old hand-coloured (repaired margins, browned throughout, many maps aged). Condition report of volume 1 Missing: dedication (pl. A2r-A2v), laudatory poems and portrait (pl. χ1r-χ2v), "Nova Europae descriptio" (pl. I). Specific remarks: World map (pl. G): right margins repaired with sm. parts of the decorative border missing and folding close to centerfold split and repaired. Maps with decorative borders damaged: "Suecia et Norvegia" (pl. 2I), "Lithuania" (pl. 2S), "Regni Valentiae typus" (pl. 3E), "Aquitania" (pl. 3P), "L'Isle de France" (pl. 3S), "Wiflispurgergov" (pl. 4L). Map with vertical folding worn through: "Xaintonge" (pl. 3O). Bound at the end of vol.1: Index (pl. 8L-8N). Condition report of volume 2 Missing: engr. title, "Hannonia" (pl. 5A), "Germania" (pl. 5E), "Lectori initio" and "Nova Africae Tabula" (pl. 7L), "Asiae Nova" (pl. 7Q), "China" (pl. 7Z). Specific remarks: "Belgii inferioris descriptio" (pl. 4O): torn off, "Brabantia" (pl. 4T): repaired but paper gaps, "Limburgensis ducatus" (pl. 5C): part. detached, 2nd map of Westfalen (pl. 5K): paper worn, "Belgii inferioris Geographicae tabule" (pl. 4Q): bound first, index (pl. 8O-8T) at the end of vol.2, some corners of last lvs missing with loss of text. Maps with decorative borders damaged: "Verona" (pl. 6S), "Virginia item et floridae" (pl. 8G), "America meridionalis" (pl. 8I).

Contemp. mottled calf (corners bumped, spines weak).

Fifth Latin edition of the famous "Mercator-Hondius" atlas (1st Amsterdam ed.: 1606; 1st Duisburg ed. of the Atlas by Mercator's heirs: 1595), and the first with the name and allegorical dog of Henricus Hondius, born Joost de Hondt, on the title-page. Divided in 7 parts: 1. Continents, Northern and Eastern Europe, 2. Spain and Portugal, 3. France and Switzerland, 4. The Netherlands, 5. Germany, 6. Italy and Southeastern Europe and 7. Africa, Asia and America. Although the laudatory poems, the cartographer's portrait, 6 maps (Europe, Hainaut, Germany, Africa, Asia and China) and the engr. title of the 2nd vol. are missing, this copy has a lot to offer with 150 embellished maps, including the world map "Orbis Terrae Compendiosa Descriptio" of 1587, the new 1600 Jodocus Hondius map of France in the 1st state, 6 new maps of the French provinces (Saintonge, Picardy, Champagne, Beauvais, Bourbonnais and Quercy) as appeared in the 1619 French edition, and Blaeu's map of Bohemia.
Ref. Van der Krogt 1:105.
Prov. Libr. stamp and labels.