Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.

Folio: [16 incl. engr. title] pp., 53 + 2 extra maps, [60] pp. (title remargined, map 2 of America: lower blank margin repaired, map 9 of Gallia: ms. notice about France, rectangular grid in ink, maps 10 & 11: lower margins neatly repaired, map 13 of Germany: circular grid in ink starting from Strasbourg, maps 14, 25, 35, 39: lower margin repaired, maps 14, 15, 18, 50: repaired centerfold, map 19 of Holland: underlining in ink, maps 44 of Poland and extra map of Hungary added before map 42: rectangular grid in ink, maps 47 and 48: lower left margin repaired, map 49: small tear repaired, map 52A of Abyssinia: sm. repair in central folding. Minor defects).

Contemp. limp vellum (recased?).

Rare first edition and second variant printed at Ortelius' expense by Gielis Coppens van Diest. Complete copy including the engraved allegorical title with female personifications of the 5 continents and 53 maps with Latin text by Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) on verso. For each variant the complete text was reset, resulting not only in 3 different variants dated 1570, but in hybrid versions as well. Yet, our copy has almost all characteristics of the second variant 31.001B: the colophon “Antverpiæ” with grapheme ash, the engr. title with hanging shoot (31:1A) and on verso the 16-line epigram by Daniel Rogerius Albimontani, the preliminary section including the "Catalogus Auctorum" with 91 names, all maps (but 4 and 17) with the setting characteristics of the letterpress text on verso and the characteristic end matter. Only map 4 with circle-shaped full stop after title and map 17 with F of title above ‘Eu’ are more characteristic for the variant C. Ortelius considered geography as the "eye of history"; this idea must have inspired him to include a list with the authors of the original maps and many other geographers, the above mentioned "Catalogus auctorum" which is as a fact one of the major peculiarities of this atlas.
Bound with 2 extra maps: 1. Mercator, G. - Hungaria. (Ref.: vdK 2800:1A.1) included in Mercator’s atlas from 1585 onwards. - 2. Ortelius, A. - Presbiteri Johannes sive Abissinorum imperium descriptio (Ref. vdB Ort 175). Only 100 copies of this map were printed and included in the Latin 1573 “Additamentum”, published by Gielis' son Anthonis Coppens van Diest.
Ref. van der Krogt IIIA [31:001B].