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 six maps of northern Italy, including three 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. Veronae Vicentiae et Pataviae Dit. Shows Verona, Padua, and Venice.
B. Tuscia. Shows the coast from Rome to Pisa, extending inland beyond Perugia.
C. Genovesxio. Centered on Genova, shows the coast of the Gulf of Genova.
D. Brescia Episcopatus Mediolanu Ducatus. Shows the region between Lake Como and Lake Garda.
E. Mediolanum Ducatus. Shows the Lombardy region, centered on Milan.
F. Forum Iulium Karstia, Carniola, Histria et Windorum Marchia. Shows the Gulf of Venice, extending east into Slovenia and Croatia.

References: Van der Krogt (Vol. III) #7020:351 (Sparke), #7080:351 (Sparke), #7110:351, #7140:351, #7170:351 (Sparke), #7200:351.

Condition: B+

Nice impressions with light toning along the edges of the sheets and some small chips and tears also along the edges. The map of Mediolanum is trimmed nearly to the neatline at top and right due to the plate not being centered properly on the sheet during the printing process. The map of Genovesxio has some soiling and show-through of text and an engraving on verso.