"[Lot of 7] Regni Valentiae Typus [and] Andaluzia [and] Arragonia et Catalonia [and] Catalonia [and] Castilia Vetus et Nova [and] Biscaia et Legio [and] Gallicia", Mercator/Hondius

This matching set of maps comes from the English edition of Mercator's Atlas Minor, which was published under the title Historia Mundi or Mercators Atlas by Michael Spark and Samuel Cartwright. After acquiring the plates to the 1607 edition of the Mercator/Hondius Atlas Minor, Sparke republished the maps with text translated into English by Wye Saltonstall. Sparke also had 41 additional maps engraved for the Historia Mundi. Most of these maps were copied from Cloppenburg's edition of Atlas Minor and are therefore a bit larger, with some signed by the engravers Jacob van Langren and Ralph Hall. These additional maps only appeared in the 1635, 1637 and 1639 editions of the Historia Mundi and are therefore quite scarce. Included in this lot are the entire set of seven regional maps of Spain in Atlas Minor, including two of the newly engraved maps. Each map is adorned with a decorative title cartouche and a distance scale. English text on verso. Sizes vary slightly.

A. Regni Valentiae Typus
B. Andaluzia
C. Arragonia et Catalonia
D. Catalonia
E. Castilia Vetus et Nova
F. Biscaia et Legio
G. Gallicia

References: Van der Krogt (Vol. III) #6055:351, #6010:351, #6010:351 (Sparke). #6116:351, #6155:351, #6200:351. #6250:351 (Sparke).

Condition: A

Nice impressions with light toning along the edges of the sheets and some small chips and tears also along the edges. The map of Gallicia has a narrow bottom margin due to the plate not being centered properly on the sheet during the printing process; there are also several professionally repaired tears and chips along the bottom edge of the map, with minor loss of image.