(Atlas - Netherlands) - JANSSONIUS, Joannes Urbium totius Belgii seu Germaniae Inferioris nobiliorum, & illustriorum tabulae antiquae & novae accuratissime elaboratae. Pars prior [- Pars posterior]. Amsterdam, J. Janssonius, 1657 2 vol., folio: letterpress title- engr. title-[2]-61 maps; letterpress title- engr. title-52 maps-[2] pp. Contemp. hand-coloured and lavishly gilt (vol. 1: corner flylvs misssing, upper margin 1st lvs frayed, Nijmegen (pl. Y): centerfold splitting; vol. 2: pencil notes, Dordrecht (pl. A): centerfold splitting (ca. 12 cm), pl. C: vertical folding worn through, Haarlem (pl. E): centerfold splitting (ca. 8 cm); both vol. delicately toned with sm. brown spots throughout). Contemp. ivory vellum, gilt decorated spine and covers (spines with hole touching the guards but not the maps, corners bumped, ribbons missing, a tiny bit soiled). Very rare, splendid and complete set of the only edition of Janssonius's town atlases of the Netherlands published in 1657. Engr. ill.: 2 frontispieces and 113 town plans or bird's-eye views of Brabant, Gelderland, Flanders, Artois, Hainaut, Namur in "Pars Prior", and of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Friesland, Overijssel and Groningen in "Pars posterior". Janssonius acquired the plates of A. Hogenberg's "Civitates orbis terrarum" that were mostly unaltered, and incorporated them in his town atlases. In the index at the end of vol. 2 these were referred to as "vetus pl." unless being altered, amended or reworked, in which case the index mentions "novus pl.". For the cities of the Netherlands, he ordered newly engr. copperplates after Blaeu's originals, after A. von Slichtenhorst or M. Zeiler. The index refers to these as "novus pl." as well. In this set more then 30 "old pl." and 50 "new pl." are present. Also included is J. Hoefnagel's large folding map of Antwerp in vol. 1. The engr. titles have the same setting as the Leiden copy with "Celebriorum totius" in italics. Ref. van der Krogt IV-1: 42.11. - Koeman II, Ja 12. Prov. Ex-libris and ticket removed on endlvs.