Folio Society Published Works Number 1245.5
Barber, Peter - The Queen Mary Atlas Limited Edition
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Barber, Peter - The Queen Mary Atlas Limited Edition (Published in by The Folio Society in 2007. Bound in full-grain calf leather. Binding design by David Eccles, featuring the conjoined arms of England and Spain. 12 double-page maps and charts, each measuring 31" x 22½". Each map mounted on a 'guard', so that it opens absolutely flat. Specially commissioned commentary volume by Peter Barber, bound in full buckram. Supplied in a solander box bound in buckram with inset leather spine label. The Queen Mary Atlas is both one of the most beautiful maps ever made and a fascinating historical Document. As we turn the huge pages, we see the world both as it was conceived in the fertile imaginations of the Middle Ages and as it was seen through the eyes of the seafaring explorers of the Renaissance. A prized possession of the British Library, it is without question one of the most important and remarkable manuscripts in the history of map-making. In The Queen Mary Atlas commissioned as a gift for Philip II of Spain from his wife the world is dominated by the great maritime powers of Spain and Portugal. Ships patrol the seas or do battle with rival fleets. Ornate compass roses gesture enigmatically to the East. Flags and coats of arms jostle with pictorial vignettes of major cities and natural landmarks. Islamic banners in North Africa and the Balkans cast a threatening shadow over the borders of Christian Europe. The increasing geographical knowledge of the time is permeated with myths and misconceptions; monstrous creatures swim in uncharted, non-existent waters; legendary African kings rule from the foothills of mountains. But that is part of the great beauty and charm of this remarkable manuscript. Number 19 of a limited edition of 1000 numbered copies. )
