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 four maps of northwestern Germany, including one 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. Wesphalia cum Dioecesi Bremensi. This shows most of western Lower Saxony, centered approximately on Bremen, with the Elbe River flowing at top right.
B. Westphaliae Tabula. II. This map continues to the south, from Quackenbruck, Lower Saxony to Wesel and Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia. Munster is to the left of center.
C. Westphalia Ducatus. This map continues south again, with the Lippe River running along the northern edge of the map, showing parts of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hessen.
D. Emden et Oldenbor.. Shows the northwestern portion of Lower Saxony, with Bremen at bottom right.

References: Van der Krogt (Vol. III) #2301:351, #2302:351, #2310:351, #2420:351 (Sparke).

Condition: A

Nice impressions with light toning along the edges of the sheets and some small chips and tears also along the edges. <i>Westphalia Ducatus</i> has two small holes in the image and a narrow top margin due to the plate not being centered on the paper during the printing process.