Toonneel des Aerdrycs, oft Nieuwe atlas.

4 vol., folio: [8 incl. engr. title]-26-72-engr. title-22 [= 55]-[1], engr. title-57-engr. title-15-15-8-26-[1], engr. title-120-10-[1]-12-[1] ff., [8 incl. engr. title]-422-[1] pp.; in all 336 maps (few sm. marg. damp stains and very few tiny spots throughout; sm. marg. tear in map of Holy land (vol. 2) and sm. marg. tears restored in map of Africa (vol. 2) and Berkshire (vol. 4), light marg. streak in upper marg. f. 48 in 1st part of vol. 3, maps of Istria and Tuscany sl. toned (vol. 3), corner of map of Scotland missing without loss (vol. 3)).

Richely gold-tooled contemp. overl. vellum, central oval ornament within double gilt ruled border with corner pieces, gilt flat spines with titles in ink, gauffered gilt edges (lower edge of front cover vol. 2 sl. damaged, some very tiny stains on covers of vol. 3, gilt spines sl. faded, some corners sl. damaged, some min. soiling). Copy with large margins.

Magnificent atlas complete in 4 vol. with 336 brightly coloured maps (120, 92, 66, 58), with 6 gold heightened titles, a number of maps with some gilt accents, some initials coloured. The maps of Danube, Rhine, Dnieper, Lithuania, Alsace and the empire of Charlemagne are large and folding. The first volume focuses on Northern and Eastern Europe, Germany and the Low Countries, the second on France, Italy, Spain and the Continents, the third on Italy and Greece with an appendix of the British Isles, being an introduction to vol. 4, exclusively dedicated to the British Isles. The Dutch ed. of Blaeu’s "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum" is extremely complex to describe since there are a multitude of variants. Our copy is a variant to the 1642 ed., which is the first Dutch ed., with some variations of the 1647 ed. Some ff. in the first 3 vol. are foliated in pen, with a ms. signature at the bottom, alternating between both ed. The "Voor-reden" in vol. 1 has an unrecorded dating "uyt onse druckery den xxii April MDCXXXV" and is preceded by an engr. title, probably from the 1645 French ed., with a vignette in Dutch pasted on. The map of Western Flanders ([3201:2]) in vol. 1 is printed on the text leaf of the plan of Dunkirk ([3295:2]) and vice versa. In vol. 2, the part on Asia is bound before the one on Africa, while the part of America contains an alternative map of Brazil, entitled "Brasilia" ([9850:2B]) instead of "Novus Brasiliae Typus" ([9850:2A.2]).
In all, a rare specimen of this splendid atlas, with Dutch text, in excellent condition.
Ref. Van der Krogt 2:221, 2:222 & 2:321.
Prov. Petrus Josephus Deckers, 1830 (1801-1862), parochial vicar at the Beguinage of Herentals (ms entries on titles). - A. Dubois, abbey of Tongerlo (ms entries on flyleaves).