Rare Book Monthly

Articles - February - 2009 Issue

Hes & De Graaf Announce Facsimile Edition of Blaeu-Van Der Hem Great Atlas

Part of what is today the northeast coast of the U.S. from the Blaeu atlas.


By Michael Stillman

Hes and De Graaf Publishers of the Netherlands has announced a major publishing project, a facsimile on a grander scale than any we have previously seen. They are in the process of publishing an eight-volume facsimile of the non-European sections of the 1660-1663 Blaeu Atlas Major, as supplemented by the 17th century Amsterdam attorney and collector Laurens Van der Hem. This uniquely supplemented "grand atlas" includes four volumes of maps and manuscript notes created for the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The original is held by the Austrian National Library in Vienna. Now offered is a spectacular facsimile of the sections pertaining to Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Only 100 copies will be printed, and each will be assembled and bound by hand to order.

The Blaeu "grand atlas" was the highpoint of the exceptional Dutch atlases of the 16th and 17th centuries, arguable the greatest atlas ever produced. The original, which includes several volumes on Europe, is lavishly illustrated with town views, images of buildings, natural scenery, etc., and is filled with maps and charts. The Hes and De Graaf facsimile does not include the European volumes, but instead contains the material Van der Hem added to his copy. Laurens Van der Hem added numerous maps, drawings, manuscripts, and text to his copy that he thought belonged. Most notable are four volumes of manuscript maps and views created for the Dutch East India Company (the "secret" atlas), normally reserved for use by officers of that institution. Van der Hem died in 1678, and his heirs sold his copy to Prince Eugene of Savoy in 1730. His heir and niece, Victoria, eventually sold the copy to the imperial library in Vienna, now the Austrian National Library.

Hes and De Graaf has used fine materials to recreate the appearance of the great atlas. The paper selected replicates the original used by Blaeu while being more suitable for folding of the large maps and designed for greater strength. The pages are bound by hand in vellum bindings with gilt ornaments and gilded edges. The aim is to recreate 17th century beauty and authenticity with 21st century durability. The latest techniques in reproduction are employed to provide the highest fidelity to the original plates and maps, including the color.

Along with the Blaeu atlas and VOC volumes, and Van der Hem's additions, there is a supplement providing detailed information about this facsimile edition. It includes not only details about the production of this edition, but information about Blaeu, Van der Hem, and a description of the varied material within the atlas.

The Blaeu-Van der Hem atlas has been registered on the UNESCO list of "the memory of the world" since 2004. That was also when preparation began for the creation of this facsimile edition of the American, African, and Asian volumes. A presentation of the new edition is scheduled for April at the University of Amsterdam, with another slated for Vienna in June.

The Blaeu-Van der Hem facsimile edition has been priced at €79,500 within the European community (VAT included) or €75,000 elsewhere (roughly $98,900 in US dollars). We suggest that those who might be interested in obtaining a copy of this magnificent work contact Hes and De Graaf at +31 (0)30 6380071 or info@hesdegraaf.com for additional information or to obtain a prospectus.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Sotheby’s
    Fine Books from a Distinguished Private Library
    28 November 2023
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Captain Thomas Brown | Illustrations of the American ornithology. £80000-120000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: William Hamilton | Campi phlegraei. £40000-60000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Nicola Zabaglia and Domenico Fontana | Castelli, e ponti con alcune ingegnose pratiche. £6000-8000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Bible, German | Nuremberg: Koberger, 1483. £40000-60000
    Sotheby’s, Nov. 28: Bible, English | King James version. £8000-12000
  • Forum Auctions
    Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    30th November, 2023
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Saint Jerome penitent, woodcut with contemporary hand-colouring and letterpress text beneath, [Augsburg], [Johann Froschauer], [c.1498]. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Elimithar (Elluchasem) "Ibn Butlan". Tacuini sanitatis, first edition, Strasbourg, Johann Schott, 1531. £15,000 to £20,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: [Missale Romanum], Latin, Incipit ordo missalis secundum consuetudinem Curiae Romani, manuscript in Latin, on vellum, 234ff. [c. 1400]. £15,000 to £20,000.
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    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Foyle copy.- [Shakespeare (William)]. Macbeth. A Tragedy: With all the Alterations, Amendments, Additions, and New Songs. As it is now Acted at the Theatre Royal, for Hen. Herringman, 1687. £5,000 to £7,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Dickens (Charles). A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, first edition, first impression, first issue, Chapman & Hall, 1843. £12,000 to £18,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Lawrence (T.E.) Revolt in the Desert, working draft typescript, 1927. £10,000 to £15,000.
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    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Hampstead Bindery.- Phillips (Stephen). Marpessa, exquisitely bound by The Hampstead Bindery, almost certainly P.A. Savoldelli, 1900. £6,000 to £8,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Matisse (Henri).- Joyce (James). Ulysses, one of 1500 copies, this one of 250 signed by the author and artist, New York, The Limited Editions Club, 1935. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Burroughs (Edgar Rice). Tarzan at the Earth's Core, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author to his son, New York, 1930. £5,000 to £7,000.
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    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: Fleming (Ian).- Hooks (Mitchell) and David Chasman. Dr. No, British film poster, Stafford & Co Ltd, [1962]. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum Auctions, Nov. 30: America.- California.- Palou (Francisco). Relacion Historica de la Vida Y Apostolicas Tareas delVenerable Padre Fray Junipero Serra..., first edition, second issue, 1787. £6,000 to £8,000.
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    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: An important file of documents with provenance to G.A. Newsom, manager of the Jacob’s Factory in Dublin, occupied by insurgents during Easter Week 1916. €6,000 to €9,000.
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    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Heaney (Seamus). Bog Poems, London, 1975. Special Limited Edition, No. 33 of 150 Copies, Signed by Author. Illus. by Barrie Cooke. €4,000 to €6,000.
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    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: COLLINS, Michael. An important TL, 29 July 1922, addressed to GOVERNMENT on ‘suggested Proclamation warning all concerned that troops have orders to shoot prisoners found sniping, ambushing etc.’. €3,000 to €4,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 12-13: Scott Fitzgerald (F.) The Great Gatsby, New York (Charles Scribner's Sons) 1925, First Edn. €2,000 to €3,000.
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    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
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    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
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    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
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    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
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    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
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    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
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    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
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    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
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    ABAA VBF: Holiday Edition
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