Blaeu. Atlas Maior

by Joan Blaeu, Peter Van Der Krogt

Superlatives tend to fail in describing Joan Blaeu’s Atlas Maior―that being said, it stands as one of the most extravagant feats in the history of mapmaking. The original Latin edition, completed in 1665, was the largest and most expensive book to be published during the 17th century. Its 594 maps appearing across 11 volumes spanned Arctica, Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. Ambitious in scale and artistry, it is included in the Canon of Dutch History, an official survey of 50 individuals, creations, or events that chart the most important historical developments of the Netherlands. TASCHEN’s meticulous reprint brings this luxurious Baroque wonder into the hands of modern readers. In an age of digitized cartography and global connectivity, it celebrates the steadfast beauty of quality printing and restores the wonder of an exploratory age, in which Blaeu’s native Amsterdam was a center of international trade and discovery. True to TASCHEN’s optimum reproduction standards, this edition is based on the Austrian National Library’s complete colored and gold-heightened copy of Atlas Maior, assuring the finest detail and quality. University of Amsterdam’s Peter van der Krogt introduces the historical and cultural significance of the atlas while providing detailed descriptions for individual maps, revealing the full scale and ambition of Blaeu’s masterwork.

Genres: History, Reference, Maps, Art History, Art, Nonfiction, Cartography

511 pages, Hardcover

Published July 4, 2016

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A work of art. Are the maps accurate? No. Are they informative? Since they are not accurate the answer is not really. Is there any useful information? Again, not really. But the Taschen publication is beautiful to look at and peruse. The Atlas lets you appreciate how primitive life and knowledge of the world was almost 400 years ago. With interesting text scattered throughout it gives you a hint on how people thought and the weird ways that travel and the lure of adventure resonate with the human heart.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely gorgeous book full of absoluetly gorgeous maps--I only wish folks still made maps as beautiful as they were back in the old days... If you're a cartography fan, you really can't pass this up. The large format version is super expensive, but I got my smaller one (still 11 x 14" and an inch and a half thick) for $30 from Barnes and Noble awhile back--infinitely worth that price. Even so, some days I'm still tempted to fork over the $200 for the fuller, larger version! Maybe one day...

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous! I love maps. Love love love them. This over-sized honker of a book would look great on a coffee table ::GASP:: OR (more importantly) be an imaginative playground for one's sense of wonder.

[pearl]

I just want to own this beautiful, beautiful book.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reprint with notes of the original is fun to glance through and see how darn pretty those old maps were. It's also amazing how detailed some of them were when they get into major centers such as London or central France — somehow despite seeing many old maps reprinted over the years, I forgot that part. Obviously your rating will rise or fall depending on how much you like pretty cartography. I flipped through it and enjoyed it, but I admit didn't read most of the text.

[Daniel Zonneveld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indescritível coleção de mapas. Maravilhoso! Um privilégio ter acesso a um documento tão abrangente e num só estilo.

[Justwinter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn sexy maps. What more needs to be said?

Although, now as I re-read my original 'review' I'm struck by that fact that several times a month I drive past a billboard that reads as follows:

STRIPPERS "need we say more?"

In that case, no, you probably don't need to say more. But in the case of Atlas Major, perhaps one does? I don't want to glibly summarize it in the same way one can GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS! Yet both are eye-candy...