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BLAEU, Johannes (1596-1673). Atlas Mayor, sino Cosmographia Blavania, En La Qual Exactamente Se Descrive La Tierre, El Mar, Y El Cieolo. Amsterdam: Johannes Blaeu, 1658-1672.
2° (555 x 260mm). Spanish text, mounted on guards throughout, some volumes with engraved titles, 499 engraved plans and maps (of 544), a few hand-coloured in outline. (Restoration and repairs throughout, the majority not affecting image area.) Contemporary vellum gilt, gilt edges (worn, areas of loss to covers and spine, volume IX rebound in modern vellum using older covers).
FIRST EDITION WITH THE VERY RARE SPANISH TEXT OF THE 'RAREST OF BLAEU'S LARGE ATLASES'. This set is particularly unusual in varying from the copy Koeman examined: the title-page of volume VI bears the earlier and unrecorded date of 1659, and the title-page of volume VII bears the earlier date of 1662. The Spanish edition was never completed owing to a fire in the Blaeu's printing shop in 1672 that destroyed the sheets for the volume then in press. This lost volume was to include the Americas. Koeman notes that a contemporary catalogue written before the fire mentions an 'Atlas en Espagnol est sous la presse & aura XII of XIII volumes, dont les dix sont achevés.' No 12- or 13-volume set was ever produced, and the 'complete' work appeared as in the present copy. Koeman I, Bl 60 A.
The set comprises:
Volume I: Northern Europe: 70 maps and plans. (Lacking title-page, some marginal dampstaining, short marginal tear to map 56, some small neat repairs.)
Volume II: Northern and Eastern Europe: 29 maps, engraved title-page. (Large repair to map 7, short marginal tear to map 9.)
Volume III: Germany: 93 [of 96] maps. (Neat repairs to title-page and G2 5C2 6F1 and 6U2, repairs to margins of first map, lacking maps 76 'Rhenus Fluviorum' and 90 'Danubius fluvius', unobtrusive dampstaining to lower margins.)
Volume IV: The Low Countries: 63 maps. (Small neat repair to margin of F1, 6 maps each with a small stain along one edge, some unobtrusive dampstaining to lower margins.)
Volume V: England and Wales: 39 [of 58] maps, the majority hand-coloured in outline. (Lacking title-page, substantial repairs to V2, 2P2, 6U2 and maps of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Wales, Pembrokeshire, Yorkshire, Cumberland, the Isle of Man, and Holy Island, browning, some spotting and dampstaining.)
Volume VI: Scotland and Ireland: 55 maps, engraved title-page, 3rd map hand-coloured in outline. (Some small repairs, some very occasional unobtrusive spotting.)
Volume VII: France and Switzerland: 65 [of 66] maps, engraved title-page. (Dampstaining and some browning, small repairs to several leaves, lacking map 1.)
Volume VIII: Italy: 46 maps [of 61]. (Dampstaining and browning, lacking engraved title-page and maps 1, 6, 23, 24, 30, 31, 39, 42, 43, 44, 54, 56, 58 and 61, some neat restorations, large repairs to maps 2 and 59.)
Volume IX: Spain: 22 maps and plans [of 29], letterpress title-page with hand-coloured printer's device. (Numerous recent restorations throughout, the majority marginal, but affecting both text and some maps, mounted on later guards throughout, some browning, lacking engraved title-page and maps and plans 4 to 10.)
Volume X: Asia (China) (Japan): 17 maps, first map hand-coloured in outline. (Lacking engraved frontispiece, first map browned, neat repairs to title-page and margins of several leaves, small paper flaw in lower margin of 10th map).
Sold not subject to return. (10)
2° (555 x 260mm). Spanish text, mounted on guards throughout, some volumes with engraved titles, 499 engraved plans and maps (of 544), a few hand-coloured in outline. (Restoration and repairs throughout, the majority not affecting image area.) Contemporary vellum gilt, gilt edges (worn, areas of loss to covers and spine, volume IX rebound in modern vellum using older covers).
FIRST EDITION WITH THE VERY RARE SPANISH TEXT OF THE 'RAREST OF BLAEU'S LARGE ATLASES'. This set is particularly unusual in varying from the copy Koeman examined: the title-page of volume VI bears the earlier and unrecorded date of 1659, and the title-page of volume VII bears the earlier date of 1662. The Spanish edition was never completed owing to a fire in the Blaeu's printing shop in 1672 that destroyed the sheets for the volume then in press. This lost volume was to include the Americas. Koeman notes that a contemporary catalogue written before the fire mentions an 'Atlas en Espagnol est sous la presse & aura XII of XIII volumes, dont les dix sont achevés.' No 12- or 13-volume set was ever produced, and the 'complete' work appeared as in the present copy. Koeman I, Bl 60 A.
The set comprises:
Volume I: Northern Europe: 70 maps and plans. (Lacking title-page, some marginal dampstaining, short marginal tear to map 56, some small neat repairs.)
Volume II: Northern and Eastern Europe: 29 maps, engraved title-page. (Large repair to map 7, short marginal tear to map 9.)
Volume III: Germany: 93 [of 96] maps. (Neat repairs to title-page and G2 5C2 6F1 and 6U2, repairs to margins of first map, lacking maps 76 'Rhenus Fluviorum' and 90 'Danubius fluvius', unobtrusive dampstaining to lower margins.)
Volume IV: The Low Countries: 63 maps. (Small neat repair to margin of F1, 6 maps each with a small stain along one edge, some unobtrusive dampstaining to lower margins.)
Volume V: England and Wales: 39 [of 58] maps, the majority hand-coloured in outline. (Lacking title-page, substantial repairs to V2, 2P2, 6U2 and maps of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Wales, Pembrokeshire, Yorkshire, Cumberland, the Isle of Man, and Holy Island, browning, some spotting and dampstaining.)
Volume VI: Scotland and Ireland: 55 maps, engraved title-page, 3rd map hand-coloured in outline. (Some small repairs, some very occasional unobtrusive spotting.)
Volume VII: France and Switzerland: 65 [of 66] maps, engraved title-page. (Dampstaining and some browning, small repairs to several leaves, lacking map 1.)
Volume VIII: Italy: 46 maps [of 61]. (Dampstaining and browning, lacking engraved title-page and maps 1, 6, 23, 24, 30, 31, 39, 42, 43, 44, 54, 56, 58 and 61, some neat restorations, large repairs to maps 2 and 59.)
Volume IX: Spain: 22 maps and plans [of 29], letterpress title-page with hand-coloured printer's device. (Numerous recent restorations throughout, the majority marginal, but affecting both text and some maps, mounted on later guards throughout, some browning, lacking engraved title-page and maps and plans 4 to 10.)
Volume X: Asia (China) (Japan): 17 maps, first map hand-coloured in outline. (Lacking engraved frontispiece, first map browned, neat repairs to title-page and margins of several leaves, small paper flaw in lower margin of 10th map).
Sold not subject to return. (10)