This is one of the most recognisable of all the early maps of the British Isles. It was published by Abraham Ortelius in his ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’ first published in 1570, the first modern atlas. This example was issued with Latin text and is in its second state which involved only slight strengthening of the engraving. The map is derived from Gerard Mercator’s eight-sheet wall map of 1564. It is a beautifully designed plate with a nice balance between accurate cartographic information and ornate decoration. The map is orientated with north to the right and the Royal Coat of Arms are depicted upper left. Shirley speculates that the engraver was Frans Hogenberg. Abraham Ortelius (1527-98) developed an interest in cartography, geography, and history at an early age. He began as a ‘kaarten afzetter’ (or illuminator of maps) and would purchase single maps from booksellers and colour them for re-sale, mounted on linen suitable for wall-hanging. At twenty he was entered in the Guild of St Luke at Antwerp. Ortelius travelled extensively in Europe, and maintained regular correspondence with mapmakers, historians and scientists, acquiring information, which was to form his greatest opus, the ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’. What made the atlas stand out as the first modern atlas was its uniformity. They were produced in a similar style and none of the ancient Ptolemaic maps were included. The atlas was accompanied a catalogue of the authors whose source Ortelius had drawn upon in compiling the work. Without this list many cartographers of the day would remain unknown to us today. From its first appearance in 1570, the ‘Theatrum’ was far more comprehensive in scope than any contemporary work. In all, over forty different editions were published, with text in Latin, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, English or Italian, with the maps being frequently revised or replaced. By 1612, when the final edition was published, the atlas contained no less than 128 maps. Provenance: Clive A. Burden Ltd. Van Den Broecke 16; Kelly (2007) ‘Maps of the British Isles, England and Wales, and Ireland’, in ‘Mappae Antiquae Liber Amicorum Günter Schilder’, pp .221-38; Shirley British Isles no. 86.