Toonneel der Steden van de Vereenighde Nederlanden, met hare beschrijvingen [- Toonneel der Steden van 's Konings Nederlanden, met hare beschrijvingen].

2 vol. (52 x 35 cm), folio: [14 incl. engr. title] pp.-129 maps, [12 incl. engr. title] pp.-96 maps, mounted on guards (occ. light marginal spotting, fore-edge border occ. delicately toned, a few sm. marg. tears at lower guards; Vol. I: letterpress title "Steden van Gelderland en Zutphen" bound before privilege; occ. light sm. dampstain in blank margin, sm. wormhole(s) in blank margin towards the end, map 16 (Wageningen) cut to the border, map 128 (Emden) sm. repair at verso; Vol. II: privilege of Louis XIV (1649) missing, guards of quire A strengthened, map 95 & 96 bound before 94 (Aachen).

Contemp. speckled and mottled sheep, by or related to the Romberg Bindery (Amsterdam) (rubbed at sides & corners, a few sm. tears), covers with large gilt ornament (in its center a bird with a branch in its beak, standing on a celestial globe) within triple gilt frame and corner pieces (i.a. armillary spheres), gilt spines with 9 raised bands and red leather title labels (rubbed, head & tail def., joints split but firm). Good large paper copy.

First Dutch edition of Blaeu's town atlas of the Netherlands of which only 75 copies in 4 states are known, including 129 maps of the United Netherlands and 96 maps of the Royal Netherlands. Second issue with the third state of the map of Medemleck [Medemblik: 43B.3] and the first state of the map of Ziriczee [Zierikzee: 43.1], with the running title misprinted "Coeveden". The composition of the atlas, first published in Latin after the Treaty of Westphalia, reflects the Dutch Republic's struggle for independence from Spain. The town atlas of the Netherlands formed part of Blaeu's larger and very ambitious plan to build a "theatre" showing the towns of the world. As this job was hard to complete during a lifetime, Blaeu explained his choice to start with the Netherlands because of this was the theatre of the most important events of his time, and also because the country was his homeland. "Bound up, by sentiment, with the most dramatic and heroic period of the shaping of the Dutch State, it shows the proud and industrious cities of the North in their full splendour." (van der Krogt).
Ref. van der Krogt IV [43:121.1-2]. - Storm van Leeuwen (Dutch decorated bookbinding in the Eighteenth Century), I: 2.2.28.