The Atlas Blaeu-Van Der Hem of the Austrian National Library, Volume II

Book excerpt: A complete descriptive and illustrated catalogue of one of the largest and finest atlases ever assembled. Now housed in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna, the 46-volume atlas is an expanded version of Joan Blaeu's Atlas Maior or 'Great Atlas', published in Amsterdam between 1660 and 1663. Though the core of the atlas consists of the several hundred maps issued by Blaeu, the original owner of the atlas, Laurens van der Hem (1621-1678), added other maps, views, and drawings of his own choice, including four volumes of manuscript maps of Africa and Asia made for the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The practice of augmenting atlases was common in the seventeenth century, but few of these personalized atlases have survived the centuries. The catalogue in 7 volumes (plus a volume about the making of the facsimile) will include all the sheets in the atlas reproduced in black-and-white, with cartographical historical and arthistorical descriptions by P. van der Krogt and E. de Groot. Each volume will contain approximately 16 full-colour illustrations. I. Spain, Portugal and France (vols. 1-8). 1996. With about 700 illustrations. 632 pp. ISBN 978 90 6194 278 8 II. Italy, Malta, Switzerland and the Netherlands (vols. 9-17). 1999. With about 700 illustrations. 732 pp. ISBN 978 90 6194 348 8 III. British Isles, northern and eastern Europe (vols. 18-24). 2002. With about 700 illustrations. 552 pp. ISBN 978 90 6194 189 7 IV. German Empire, Hungary and Greece,including Asia Minor. Descriptive catalogue of the vols. 25-34 of the Atlas. 2004. Sm.folio. Cloth. With about 800 illustrations, including 16 in colour. 708 pp. ISBN 978 90 6194 179 8 V. Africa, Asia and America, including the "Secret" Atlas of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Descriptive catalogue of volumes 35-46 of the Atlas. 2005. Sm. folio. Cloth. With about 700 illustrations, including 17 in colour. 640 pp. ISBN 978 90 6194 199 6 VI. Descriptive catalogue of volumes 47-50 (E1-E4) of the Atlas and general indices. 2008. Sm. Folio. Cloth. With about 300 illustrations. Approx. 500 pp. ISBN 978 90 6194 439 3 VII. Groot, E. de. The world of a seventeenth-century collector. The Atlas Blaeu-Van der Hem. 2006. Sm. folio. Cloth, with full colour dustjacket. With 150 black & white and 16 colour illustrations. 395 pp. ISBN 978 90 6194 359 4 VIII. The Atlas Blaeu-Van der Hem. The history of the Atlas and the making of the facsimile. An accompanying publication with background information on the Atlas Blaeu-Van der Hem and the production of the facsimile. Cloth with full colour dust jacket. 244 pp. 137 full colour illustrations. ISBN 978 90 6194 300 6.