A fine example of Münster’s cosmography

Sebastian Münster's 'Cosmographia' was the first description of the world to be written in German. It was first published in 1544; this example comes from an expanded posthumous edition, the first published by Sebastian Henricpetri, Münster's step-grandson. The double-page maps include the World and Continents (the America being important for being the first printed map to show North and South America as one continent), the Ptolemaic world, and European countries; the town plans include Paris, Venice, Rome and Constantinople; the text woodcuts include more maps and plans, illustrations of mining & engineering, battles, jousting, swordfighting, executions, portraits and animals & monsters.