This title page is centered on a beautifully rendered sailing ship in an elaborate strapwork cartouche that contains four views of major cities in the Dutch trading empire: Antwerp, Amsterdam, Middelburg, and Enkhuizen. Linschoten was an important Dutch explorer. The valuable sailing instructions that he managed to acquire from the secret Portuguese archives helped launch the Dutch trading empire in the East Indies. His travel writings, the famous Itinerario, published in three parts (Description de l’Amerique, Le Grande Route de Mer, and Histoire de la Navigation), was one of the most important early accounts of India, the Far East, Portuguese Africa, and the New World. This is from the Latin edition with the publisher's imprint "Ex officina Alberti Henrici. Impensis Authoris & Cornelii Nicolai, prostantique apud Aegidium Elsevirum." On full sheet of Latin text (7.4 x 12.2").

References: Shirley (BL Atlases) G.LIN-1b.

Condition: B

A nice impression with moderate soiling, printer's ink residue, and two small abrasions in the image. A couple tiny chips in the corners have been archivally repaired.