A very attractive large thick paper example of arguably the most prestigious English atlas of the seventeenth century by John Speed (1552-1629). Speed is the most famous of all the English map-makers. His two most famous publications are ‘The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain’, first published in 1611[12] and the ‘Prospect of the most famous parts of the world’, first published in 1627. Speed was a tailor by profession with a great interest for history and maps. He wanted to produce an English atlas of the same high standards and quality as those published on the continent. First he prepared a series of county maps of England and Wales and personally travelled all over the British Isles to acquire the information for all the town plans to be included as separate insets. Between 1605 and 1610 he prepared these manuscripts and sent them to Jodocus Hondius in Amsterdam to engrave most of the plates. The atlas when first published in 1611[12] was intended as a companion volume to his ‘History of Great Britain’. The descriptive text on the back of each map is mostly abridged versions from Camden’s ‘Britannia’. The ‘Prospect of the most famous parts of the world’, first published in 1627, was often bound with the ‘Theatre’ and added an additional 20 engraved maps of the various parts of the world. The 1676final edition of the ‘Prospect’ includes eight further maps on seven sheets appearing for the first time: East India, Russia, Canaan and four maps of the ‘Kings dominions abroad’ the American colonies: New England, Virginia and Maryland, Carolina, Jamaica and Barbados. This is the only edition of the Theatre and Prospect in which the Theatre has the general title page for both works, showing that for the first time it was intended to precede the Prospect. Also the dedication to Charles II, King of Great-Britain, France and Ireland was newly added in this edition. The maps in both works are attractive because of the border illustrations and insets with the arms of the country and the nobility, figures in national costume, city views, town plans, views of castles and cathedrals, and other interesting features. Chubb 27; Phillips Atlases 488; Shirley BL T.Spe 1i; Skelton 92; Wing S4886.