Course:LIBR548F/2009WT1/Atlases

Historical Development: From Ptolemy to Google Earth

A traditional atlas is a book of maps, charts or plans of either terrestrial or celestial bodies. Today, the term is used metaphorically to describe many multimedia representations of these same bodies. Many traditional and multimedia atlases include geopolitical, social, cultural, economic and religious statistics.

Claudius Ptolemy: "The Father of Geography"

Claudius Ptolemy (90-168), a geographer working in Alexandria c. 150 during the time of the Ancient Library of Alexandria, is credited with providing the foundations for the first atlas. His Geographia was issued in two parts: Book 1 is a treatise on cartography; Books 2-5 form an atlas. "Such was the impact of Ptolemy’s maps that, from 1477 to 1570, no terrestrial atlas was published that did not contain at its core his text and maps."

The most important of Ptolemy's methods was to use latitude and longitude co-ordinates to establish the position of the places mentioned; indeed he may have been the first to use the terms "latitude" and "longitude."

Following the fall of the Roman Empire, Ptolemy’s text was lost to western geographers but, fortunately, the original text had been translated into Arabic and was thereby preserved (the earliest extant manuscript version of Geographia is in Arabic and probably dates from the 12th Century).

During the Renaissance, Ptolemy’s text was translated into Latin and reprinted in Bologna in 1477. This was the world's first printed book in which copper engravings were used for book illustrations. Later editions often used woodcut.

By the mid-1500s, many maps were being produced, especially in the trading centres of Rome and Venice. Binding maps together to form composite works called atlases evolved during this period. Early atlases from this period are now called “IATO” (Italian, Assembled to Order) or “Lafreri” (a leading publisher of the period) atlases.

Abraham Ortelius: "Patriarch of the Atlas"

Abraham Ortelius, World Map, 1570. Ortelius's atlas "developed from a set of maps of the Classical world … into a Renaissance product of cartographic evolution. Before Ortelius, atlases used to be composed ad hoc, consisting of loose sheet maps bound by a mapseller according to the wishes of the future owner. However, these 'atlases' were not true atlases, since they had no regular character and uniform execution."

Zoom and Pan digitized version of Abraham Ortelius's "Theatre of the World" atlas, 1570. "Ortelius's atlas was incredibly successful. Between 1570-1612, 42 editions were printed by Coppenium Diesth in Antwerp, selling an astonishing 7,300 copies."

Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598), a Flemish cartographer and geographer, is credited with creating the first modern atlas. Published in Antwerp on May 20, 1570 and titled Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (“Theatre of the World”), it contained 53 map sheets of the countries of the world. One achievement of this atlas was the introduction of standardized maps of a uniform size. Copper printing plates were especially engraved for Ortelius's atlas. The Theatrum continued to be published until 1612. During this period, over seventy-three hundred copies were printed in seven different languages - a remarkable figure for the time.

The immediate commercial success of the large Theatrum led Philips Galle to publish a pocket edition of Ortelius's map book in 1578. Editions of this less expensive Epitome in French, Latin, Dutch, and Italian were also extremely popular.

Ortelius also created the Parergon (1579), an atlas of Classical history and monument to his love of the Classical world. This was the world’s first historical atlas.

Gerardus Mercator: "The Prince of Modern Geographers"

Turning the Pages digitized version of Gerardus Mercator's Atlas of Europe, c. 1570. "This atlas is the most important surviving body of Mercator's work in a single volume."

Gerardus Mercator. "[The Atlas of Europe] was put together in the early 1570s by the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, perhaps the best-known mapmaker of all time, to help with planning the grand tour of Europe of his patron's son, the crown prince of Cleves."

The word “atlas” to describe a bound collection of maps came into use following the 1595 publication of Gerardus Mercator’s Atlas sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi et Fabricati Figura (“Atlas, or Description of the Universe”).

Mercator (1512-1594) was Ortelius’s friend and rival. Today he is best known for his eponymous projection of the world onto a two-dimensional surface. The Mercator Projection (1569) became the standard map projection for nautical purposes due to its ability to represent lines of constant course as straight segments.

Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Atlases

Cassell & Co.’s Universal Atlas was published in 1893. It used maps from the second edition of the German Andrees Allgemeiner Handatlas (“Andrees General Atlas”), after Richard Andrees (1835-1912). This atlas used chromolithography, rather than copper plate engraving, but reproduced the maps from zinc plates that were etched in relief. This made finely detailed maps available at a much lower cost than competing atlases.

The Times Atlas of the World, first published in 1895, contained 117 pages of maps and an index of 130,000 names. The Times atlas was a reprint of Cassell’s Universal Atlas. A second generation was issued in 1929 as The Times Survey Atlas of the World. The third generation was issued in five volumes from 1955-59 as The Times Atlas of the World: Mid-Century Edition. A one-volume edition appeared in 1967, published as The Times Atlas of the World: Comprehensive Edition. The 10th or “Millennium” edition (1999) was completely produced by means of computer-cartography, reflecting advances in both computer technology and cartography. The 12th edition was published in 2007 and reprinted with updates in 2008.

In the USA, the National Geographic Society established its Maps Division in 1915. The 8th edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World was published in 2005.

Cybercartography

"Cybercartography" or "Web Mapping" refers to the process of designing, implementing, generating and delivering maps on the World Wide Web. Online atlases represent a renaissance of the genre.

Cybercartographic "atlases" are on-line dynamic, interactive atlases and are an important part of the current evolution of social computing, or Web 2.0.

There are several advantages to web maps, the most important being the currency of the material they present compared with print atlases. They can also combine distributed data and can integrate different data sources. Google Earth (launched in 2005) is a good example of how a "mash up" of data (photos, videos, etc.) can enhance the experience of looking at our world. They also allow for personalization.

WikiMapia (launched in 2006) is an on-line map and satellite imaging resource that combines Google Maps with a wiki, allowing users to add notes to any location on Earth.

Recommended Resources

Library of Congress (1997). Images of the World: The Atlas Through History. John A. Wolter and Ronald E. Grim (eds.) New York: McGraw-Hill.

• A richly illustrated compendium of maps and atlases. From their pre-Gutenberg origins to the digitized present, this is a good primer for those interested in how the atlas as a genre developed through the centuries.

Paul Binding (2004). Imagined Corners: Exploring the World's First Atlas. London: Headline Book Publishing.

• An exhaustive study of Ortelius and his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.

David Rumsey Map Collection

• One of the world's largest private collections of maps and cartographic items, consisting of more than 150,000 items including more than 17,000 digitized maps. In February 2009, Rumsey announced that he was donating the his entire collection, plus the database used to track the images, to Stanford University. See also David Rumsey made a living in real estate. Then he charted his future to match his passion: maps for the back story to this extensive collection, now in the public domain.

Map the Universe

• An extensive blog about maps and atlases with links to the History of Cartography, Map Blogs, Map Collections Online, Map Dealers, Map Exhibition & Events, and Map Societies.

External Links

• Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598): Patriarch of our Atlas (an exhibition celebrating the 400th anniversary of Ortelius’s death)
• The State Library of Victoria's "Zoom and Pan" digital version of Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum
• The British Library's "Turning the Pages" digital version of Mercator's Map of Europe
• The Atlas of Canada (Natural Resources Canada)
• The Times World Atlases on ITV (YouTube)
• National Geographic Atlas Explorer
• David Rumsey Map Collection
• MapForum.com
• Google Earth
• WikiMapia