One of the best editions of Ortelius’s Theatrum atlas

A finely original coloured example of what Koeman calls ''the most advanced Latin edition of the Theatrum published by Vrients''. First published in 1570, Ortelius's 'Theatrum' was the first regularly produced atlas, and the first attempt to compile the best available maps in a uniform format. The first edition contained 53 maps, but over the years more maps were added. This posthumous edition contains over twice as many, including the famous maps of Iceland (added 1585), the Pacific Ocean (1589), China (1584) and Japan (1595). This example is bound with: the 'Parergon', Ortelius's atlas of the ancient world; the 'Nomenclator Ptolemaicus', a list of names used by Claudius Ptolemy in his 'Geographia'; and 'De Mona Druidum Insulae...', a six-page letter to Ortelius describing Anglesea by Welsh geographer Humphrey Lhuyd.