BLAEU. NOVUM AC MAGNUM THEATRUM URBIUM BELGICAE FOEDERATE [AND] NOVUM AC MAGNUM THEATRUM URBIUM BELGICAE REGIAE, [1649]

Third Latin edition, 2 volumes, folio (530 x 335mm.), Latin text, 2 engraved titles with printed overslips, 223 engraved maps, eighteenth century red morocco, elaborately bordered in gilt, spine with raised bands in eight compartments, black morocco lettering piece in the second, the others with an overall repeat decoration in gilt, marbled endpapers, gilt edges, expert restoration at edges and joints

Henry B. H. Beaufoy (1786-1851), armorial bookplate; George Beaufoy, Christie's, Manson & Woods, June 1909; William Hesketh Lever, Viscount Leverhulme (1851-1925), armorial bookplate

Koeman, Bl 66 and 67

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A FINE SET OF BLAEU’S FAMOUS TOWNBOOKS OF THE LOW COUNTRIES, IN A HANDSOME BINDING. "Of all the Blaeu atlases, the townbooks of the Netherlands are held in the highest esteem in the Netherlands. This is partly due to the fact that their composition is linked up with the struggle for independence from Spain of the Dutch Republic in the 17th century" (Koeman). This copy with slightly variant titles to Koeman Bl 66 and Bl67, printed on mounted overslips and without page numbers (otherwise collating as per Koeman). "In his third edition we find the same views and plans arranged in nearly the same order as in the second edition, but a smaller number of plates [i.e. mapsheets], as several half sheets of the first edition have been combined to make whole sheets ... Several plans have been amended, some of them to a considerable extent ... The text has been reset ... This third edition is extended with extracts from the privileges granted by Philip II and Louis XIV" (Koeman).