Matthaus Merian began publishing the 'Theatrum Europaeum' in 1633, it was not finished until 1738 by which time 21 volumes had been issued including some 20,000 pages of text, 720 maps, plans, views and other engravings and nearly 700 portraits. Many of the earliest plates were issued in Johann Angel von Werdenhagen's 'De Rebus Publicis Hanseaticus' of 1644 and Johann Ludwig Gottfried's 'Neuwe Archontologia Cosmica' of 1638. The latter included this fine plan of Augsburg complete with a key to identify 19 places on the map. The River Danube is shown flowing across the bottom of the image. Shirley BL G.Gott 1a no. 19 & G.Mer 1a.

This view of Vienne is from the 'Topographia Gallia' by Martin Zeiler published 1655-61. It formed just one volume of the 'Topographiae' series which began in 1642 with a volume on Switzerland and extended to much of Europe. The final work covers Italy in 1688. All of the plates were the work of Matthaus Merian (1593-1650). Born in Basle, Switzerland, he was one of the finest engravers of the seventeenth century. He was renowned for his town plans and views. He married the daughter of Theodore de Bry. Vienne is a town to the south of Lyon on the River Rhone. Shirley (2004) G.Meri 22a.

Matthaus Merian began publishing the 'Theatrum Europaeum' in 1633, it was not finished until 1738 by which time 21 volumes had been issued including some 20,000 pages of text, 720 maps, plans, views and other engravings and nearly 700 portraits. This fine birds eye plan of Mainz on the River Rhine has a keys to help identify 28 places on the map. It is the second state having had the original date 1637 erased from the title. Shirley BL G.Werd 1a no. 85 & G.Meri 1a.

This attractive little map of Portugal was published in Amsterdam by Paulus Merula. It first appeared in the revised edition of Barent Langenes work entitled "Caert Thresoor" in 1616. This one is engraved by Salomon Rogiers. Van der Krogt, P. (Atlantes) 6281:342; Shirley "Atlases in the BL" T.Bert 2a & T.Meru 2a no. 10.

About 1726 Henri Michelot and Laurent Bremont produced an untitled sea atlas containing 16 charts and three plates of ships. The charts were dated between 1715 and 1726. In 1727 a reduced size quarto format work was first published with the title "Recueil de plusieurs plans des ports et rades de la Mer Mediterranée", it contained 21 charts of the waters and harbours of the western Mediterranean Sea. This second edition is dated 1727-30 by the unpublished work of Catherine Hofmann and was enlarged to include 37 charts. The 16 new charts in this issue are all dated 1730. They are all the engraved work of P. Starckmann of The Hague. This is amongst some of his last known works. Observations for the charts were undertaken by Michelot who was a hydrographer and pilot familiar with these waters. The area covered extends from Cadiz in Spain largely covering the European coastlines through France and Italy ending at Sicily. They include fine charts of the waters of Gibraltar, Mallorca, Ibiza, Barcelona, Colioure, Hyères, Antibes, Villefranche, Genoa, Porto Vecchio and Palermo. There was a third edition including one more chart dated to 1732. The British Library example of this work is incomplete. PROVENANCE: early price inscription on title and "Marseilles, 6eme Juin 1752" on front free endpaper. Shirley, British Library, M.Mich-2a; Palau 168.325; Tooley Dictionary.

A VERY RARE WORK. The maps were originally published as a set of exceedingly rare card maps of the counties by Thomas Crabb. Their first atlas publication was in this 'New Miniature Atlas' of 1820 by Robert Miller (fl.1810-21), a publisher and bookseller. This is his one cartographic production. Miller was apprenticed to the Stationers Company in 1801 and made free in 1809. Eugene Burden reported that Miller was at the Fish Street address from 1817 to 1822. All the map imprints now reflect Miller's address and each is now numbered. The maps are bound in a curious order. Beginning with Middlesex it extends through Hertfordshire to the north, then starts again with Surrey before extending through the west ending with those of Wales.The plates were then acquired by the great publishing house of William Darton [1755-1819], by now in the hands of his son, also William [1781-1854]. These plates were famously issued even later in the much better known atlas by Reuben Ramble (1810-75), whose name is a pseudonym for the Reverend Samuel Clark. Provenance: bookplate of Roy H. Johnstone; Sotheby’s 20 September 2001 lot 35; private English collection. Beresiner (1983) p. 154; Carroll (1996) 74; Chubb (1927) 340; Tooley (1999-2004); Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).

Robert Miller was a publisher and bookseller who was responsible for just one cartographic productions 'Miller's New Miniature Atlas', 1821. Most believe the map's first issue to be this work, however it is in fact as a set of cards by Thomas Crabb in 1819. The atlas was later issued as 'Darton's New Miniature Atlas' in 1822 and again in 1825. But arguably its most famous incarnation is as the county maps for Reuben Ramble's 'Travels through the Counties of England' published by the firm of Darton & Clark as it was then known in 1844. For these issues they were accompanied by ornate border vignettes. Chubb 341.

A RARE WORK. Edward Mogg (fl.1804-47) began his career around 1804 with the publication of a plan of London and Westminster. Indeed, much of his life was spent publishing road books and maps relating to the streets of London. He began this production with a plan to cover all the roads of England and Wales. He declared that it ‘will be divided into three parts for the purpose of rendering it more portable ... The First Part, comprising the Southern Division, will be completed in Fourteen Numbers ...’ Begun in 1814 the first part was completed by 1817. The first part was to include and expand on his earlier work entitled A Survey of the Roads from London to Brighton, 1808. However, the first part was all that was ever published. The typographic title page identifies the counties covered; ‘Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hants, Wilts, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall; with part of Buckingham and Middlesex.’ The road strips afford detail of the surroundings with all country houses noted and their owners named. The general map is dated 1 May 1817 and can be found bound at the end of the book and is therefore quite likely the last addition. It may be that this copy is indeed one of the first to be issued. Indeed, we know this to have happened to his earlier work entitled 'A Survey of the Roads from London to Brighton', 1808. It was sold in an unfinished state, prior to publication, at a discounted rate. ‘This ambitious book, on a larger scale than before, is much the most attractive of the English road books’ (Wardington Catalogue). Provenance: private English collection. Bennett (1996) pp. 110-12; Fordham (1924) p. 54; Kingsley (1982) p. 373; Smith (1982) pp. 170-1; Smith (1985) pp. 84-5; Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004); Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).

A fine early detailed map of the Magellan Straits and Tierra Del Fuego. Various anchorage's and hazards are shown in some detail. Tierra del Fuego is claimed for England being named 'King Charles's South Land'. Legends describe the island as 'A rocky Mountainous Desolate Land'. A key lower right names several islands in the straight. This map comes from one of the rarest of Moll's atlases; the 'Atlas Geographicus: Or, A Compleat System of Geography'. It was first advertised to the public in 1708 as issued in parts. The first volume appeared in 1711 with four subsequent in 1711, 1712, 1714 and 1717. Shirley BL T.Moll 3a no. 84.

Herman Moll was a Dutchman who settled in England by 1678. His contributions to the cartographic world over the ensuing decades were considerable. This map is from the "A New Description of England and Wales", an English County atlas published in 1724. That same year the maps also appeared as "A Set of Fifty New and Correct Maps of England and Wales". The maps most distinguishing features are the decorative antiquities which surround the map. The first state of the maps lack a plate number, these are very rare and were altered almost immediatly after initial printing. This is an example of the second state. Hodson 27.2; Skelton-Hodson 173