![]() The work was an immediate success, ultimately going through more than thirty editions, from 1570 to 1612, despite the death of Ortelius himself in 1598. In short, he produced the first ever “Atlas” although that term was not coined until substantially later, in 1595. The “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” or “Theater of the World” was a bound collection of maps, all of the same size and style, curated to take the reader on a journey around the world as it was known in the late 16 th century. However, it was in 1570 that he produced the work that is now regarded as his legacy and is often cited as one of the most important printed works ever published. Following quickly after that, he produced a six sheet map of Spain, a two sheet map of Egypt and an eight sheet map of Asia, all in the 1560s. The first map that Ortelius produced under his own name is traced to 1564, a large world map in eight sheets known in one example, now in the library of the University of Basel. Indeed, there are records of Ortelius regularly visiting the Frankfurt Book Fair in the mid-16 th century. He was also a very active businessman, dealing extensively in maps, prints and books, both his own and from other sources. ![]() ![]() Due to his involvement in the trade, he built a formidable network of contacts throughout Europe. Through his father, he was involved in the antiquarian trade from an early age and as an adult, became part of the cartographic industry as a map engraver and illuminator. Ortelius was born in Flanders in 1527 and is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of cartography. One of the most prominent examples suitable for this exercise are maps by Abraham Ortelius. One of the privileges of working in The Map House with such a large collection of antique maps is the ability to compare different printings of the same map and trying to spot the geographical advances, regresses and outright differences between them.
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