BLAEU, Willem (1571-1638) and BLAEU, Joan Guilliemius (1596-1673).
Theatrum orbis terrarum, sive atlas novus. Pars secunda.
Amsterdam, 1655.

Part II "Americas" of volume II (of 6) only, folio (20 1/2" x 13 3/4"). Text in Latin. Engraved title with letterpress title overslip, 15 engraved double-page maps ALL FINELY COLORED IN A CONTEMPORARY HAND, woodcut tail-pieces and initials (some light browning and spotting, a few marginal tears). Contemporary Dutch paneled vellum (remboitage), each cover elaborately decorated in gilt in two panels with fillets of broad floral roll tools, large floral inner corner-pieces and central floral medallion, yapp edges, all edges gilt (rebacked, lacking two pairs of ties, front cover with small split in fore-edge, one or two small stains).

Provenance: Richard Green Library of Important Scientific Books, his sale, Christie's New York, 3rd December 2007, lot 256 - $22,500. A FINE TALL COPY WITH EXCEPTIONAL HAND-COLORING.

The Most Successful Commercial Cartographer of the Baroque Age

An important part of the Latin edition of Blaeu's "Theatrum orbis terrarium." Containing fine large maps of "Americae," "Insulae Americanae," "Nova Belgica et Anglia Nova," "Barmudas," "Nova Virginiae," "Virginiae . et Floridae," "Nova Hispania et Nova Galicia," ".Novum Regnum Granatense et Popayan," "Venezuela, cum. Novae Andalusiae," "Guiana sive Amazonum Regio," "Brasilia," "Paraguay, o Prov. De Rio de la Plata cum. Tucuman et S.ta Cruz de la Sierrra," "Magellanica," "Chili," and "Peru." Of particular interest is the map of "Nova Belgica et Anglia Nova": "It's primary source is the first manuscript figurative map of Adrien Block, 1614. Indeed it is the first full representation of it in print. It is one of the earliest to name "Nieu Amsterdam" (Burden). Publication of this New World Atlas, or "Atlas Novus" was originally begun by Joannes's father Willem Blaeu with the publication in 1635 of two volumes (consisting of The World, Europe, Arctic, Scandinavia, Russia, Eastern Europe, Germany and the Low Countries; and France, Spain, Asia, Africa and America), and published in four languages (German, Dutch, Latin and French). After succeeding his father, Joannes Blaeu progressively expanded the "Atlas Novus" to six volumes by 1655, and this formed the first half the "Atlas Maior," extending to 11 or 12 volumes by 1662. Burden 241 and 242; Koeman I, Bl 24C.