The Flemish scholar and geographer Abraham Ortelius (1527–98) published the first edition of his Theatrum orbis terrarum (Theater of the world) in 1570. Containing 53 maps, each with a detailed commentary, it is considered the first true atlas in the modern sense: a collection of uniform map sheets and accompanying text bound to form a book for which copper printing plates were specifically engraved. The 1570 edition was followed by editions in Latin, Dutch, French, German, and Spanish, with an ever-increasing number of maps. Shown here is the first known printed map of Denmark, which appeared in the 1570 edition. The map was based on a 1552 map of the same title by the Danish cartographer Marcus Jordan, with other features taken from a 1543 map by the Dutch printmaker, painter, and cartographer Cornelis Anthonizoon (1505–53).
The Flemish scholar and geographer Abraham Ortelius (1527–98) published the first edition of his Theatrum orbis terrarum (Theater of the world) in 1570. Containing 53 maps, each with a detailed commentary, it is considered the first true atlas in the modern sense: a collection of uniform map sheets and accompanying text bound to form a book for which copper printing plates were specifically engraved. The 1570 edition was followed by editions in Latin, Dutch, French, German, and Spanish, with an ever-increasing number of maps. Shown here is the first known printed map of Denmark, which appeared in the 1570 edition. The map was based on a 1552 map of the same title by the Danish cartographer Marcus Jordan, with other features taken from a 1543 map by the Dutch printmaker, painter, and cartographer Cornelis Anthonizoon (1505–53).