This lot includes four regional maps of central Germany that appeared in 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, and some were 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. This lot includes four of the original maps of central Germany that appeared in the earlier editions of the Mercator/Hondius Atlas Minor. English text on verso. Sizes vary slightly. This lot includes:

A. Brauswik et Meydburg cum Confinijs. Extends from Hannover in the northwest, to Erfurt in the south, Leipzig in the southeast, and Magdeburg in the northeast.

B. Thuringia. This map is centered on Erfurt, extending to Halle in the northeast, to Duderstat in the northwest, and as far south as Meiningen and Lobenstein.

C. Hassia Landgraviatus. Extends from Kassel in the north to Fulda in the south, west to Frankenberg and east to Eisenach.

D. Waldek Comit. This shows the region just to the west of Kassel, from Warburg and Fritzlar in the east to Meschede and Schmallengberg in the west.

References: Van der Krogt (Vol. III) #2120:351; 2260:351; 2450:351; 2460:351.

Condition: A

Crisp impressions with light toning along the edges of the sheets and a few small chips and tears also along the edges.