AFR: III. TAB Geographiae Libri Octo : recogniti iam et diligenter emendati cum tabulis geographicis ad mentem auctoris restitutis ac emendatis ; Cum gratia & Priuilegio Sac Caes. Maiestat.

Hand colored outline map of North Africa. Showing landmarks, major cities and towns, rivers and parks. Relief shown pictorially. First printed in Latin in Vicenza in 1475 without maps; the maps from engraved copperplates were first included in the Bologna, 1477 edition. This edition holds the distinction of being prepared by Gerhard Mercator. The maps were first printed, without the text of the Geographia, in Cologne, 1578. The version of the text of the Geographia is by Willibald Pirckheimer and was edited by Arnold Mylius. The maps were engraved on copperplates by Mercator himself, according to Shirley; each map contains explanations on the recto of the outer forms and sometimes on the verso, as well, regarding the corrections Mercator made in the accepted Ptolemaic types. Descriptive text appears on the recto of the outer form of the double maps and sometimes on the verso of the outer form of the double maps; the 27 full folio double maps and the 1 smaller double map of the Nile Delta are bound between leaf [5] verso and leaf [6] recto, which begins the index, and are either signed **² A-L ²L² M-N² chi² O-2C² or A-L² K² M² O² N² chi² ²O² P-2B² or A-L² K² M² O² chi² ²N-²O² P-2B², while the text of the annotations of each map have been mostly reset. No maps have American content but Shirley notes that Mercator's revision of the Ptolemaic mappamundi [1]. Vniversalis tabvla ivxta Ptolemaevm. In qua tres continentis partes, Europa, Africa, & Asia, quatenus ipsius tempore innotuerant, delineatae sunt was part of a grand scheme occupying nearly all of Mercator's life in his attempt to describe all of the ancient and modern world both geographically and historically. The mappamundi is framed by an ornate engraved border with the twelve named windheads; ornate engraved cartouches with mathematical details appear on each of the maps of Europe, Africa, and Asia. "Clavdii Ptolemaei Alexandrini, Geographicae enarrationis", p. 1-90 [i.e. 108], 2nd count, has separate caption title. "Index eorvm qvae in octo libris Ptolemaei, continentvr nvmervs nominibvs additvs paginam, a priorem, b posteriorem paginae colvmnam indicat, qvae nominibvs adduntur, ne eadem saepius repetantur, paucissimis literis compraehensa sunt: ... ", p. [1-30], 3rd count, has separate caption title. "Tabvlae geographicae Cl. Ptolemaei ad mentem avctoris restitvtae et emendatae, per Gerardvm Mercatorem illvstiss. dvcis Cliviae &c. cosmographvm", p. [33-40], 3rd count, has divisional title page and includes 28 double maps. "Indicem hvnc in tres classes distinxi, ivxta trimembrem continentis et tabvlarum divisionem ... ", p. [41-70], 3rd count, has separate caption title. Relief shown pictorially. Signatures: pi² (pi1 verso blank) A-L⁶ (H3 missigned H4) M⁴ (M4 blank) ⁴ ( 1 verso blank) a-b⁶ c⁴ (c4 blank). Includes indexes. Title page fully engraved with a globe showing Europe, Asia, and Africa; woodcut tail pieces; initials; includes one in text woodcut diagram on p. [39], 3rd count, and a full page woodcut diagram on p. [40], 3rd count. (Titles from the recto of outer forms or at head of map) [1]. Vniversalis tabvla ivxta Ptoemaevm. In qua tres continentis partes, Europa, Africa, & Asia, quatenus ipsius tempore innotuerant, delineatae sunt -- [2]. Evropae tabvla I. In qua insulae Britannicae duae, Hibernia & Albion cum minoribus adiacentibus describuntur -- [3]. Evropae tabvla II. In qua describuntur Hispaniae, quam Graeci Iberiam vocant, tres prouinciae Baetica, Lusitania, & Tarraconensis -- [4]. Evropae tabvla III. Continet Galliae, Graecis Geltogalatiae, quatuor prouincias, Aquitaniam, Lugdunensem, Belgicam, & Narbonensem -- [5]. Evropa tabvla IIII. Continet Germaniam magnam -- [6]. Evropae tabvla V. Continet Raetiam, Noricum, vtramque Pannoniam & Illyricum -- [7]. Evropae tabvla VI. Continet Itialiam & Cyrnum siue Corsicam insulam -- [8]. Evropae tabvla VII. Continet Sardiniam & Siciliam insulas -- [9]. Evropae tabvla VIII. Continet Samartiam Europae & Tauricum Chersonesum -- [10]. Evropae tabvla IX. Continet Iazyges Metanastas, Daciam, Mysiam superiorem, Mysiam interiorem, & Thraciam -- [11]. Evropae tabvla X. Continens Macedoniam, Epirum, Achaiam cum Euboea insula, Peloponnesum & Cretam insulam -- [12]. Africae tabvla I. Continet ambas Mauritanias, Tingitanam & Caesariensem -- [13]. Africae tabvla II. Continet Africam minorem -- [14]. Africae tabvla III. Continet Cyrenaicam & Aegyptum -- [15]. Appendix III in tabvlae Afr: (showing the Nile Delta) -- [16]. Africae tabvla IIII. Continet Libyam interiorem, Aethiopiam quae sub Aegypto est, & Aethiopiam interiorem -- [17]. Asiae tabvla I. Continet Pontum cum Bithynia, Asiam proprie[m] dictam, Lyciam, Galatiam, Pamphyliam, Cappadociam, Armeniam minorem, & Ciliciam -- [18]. Asiae tabvla II. Continet Sarmatiam Asiaticam -- [19]. Asiae tabvla III. Continet Colchidem, Iberiam, Albaniam, & Armeniam maiorem -- [20]. Asiae tabvla IIII. Continet Cyprum, Syriam, cuius pars est Palestina, quae & Iudaea, Arabiam Petr[a]eam, Mesopotamiam, Arabiam desertam, Babyloniam -- [21]. Asiae tabvla V. Continet Assyriam, Mediam, Susianam, Persidem, Parthiam, Carmaniam desertam -- [22]. Asiae tabvla VI. Continet Arabiam Foelicem & Carmaniam -- [23]. Asiae tabvla VII. Continet Hyrcaniam, Margianam, Bactrianam, Sogdianam, Sacas, & Scythiam intra Imaum -- [24]. Asiae tabvla VIII. Continet Scythiam extra Imaum montem & Sericam -- [25]. Asiae tabvla IX. Continet Ariam, Paropanisum, Drangianam, Arachosiam, & Gedrosiam -- [26]. Asiae tabvla X. In qua continentur India, intra Gangem fluuium -- [27]. Asiae tabvla XI. Continet Indiam extra Gangem & Sinas -- [28]. Asiae tabvla XII. Continet Taprobanam. This copy is from the National Library of Scotland and we are grateful to them for providing scanned images of the atlas as part of a joint project under the guidance of Christopher Fleet, Senior Map Curator at the NLS. See our 11296.000 for the updated 1619 edition by Bertius