Atlas
An atlas is a systematic collection of maps that can cover specific countries, regions, or the entire globe, often bound together as a printed book, though increasingly available in digital formats. The maps within an atlas usually share a uniform format but may vary in scale depending on the geographical areas represented. Atlases can be general or specialized, such as historical atlases that depict changes over time, or thematic atlases focusing on subjects like anatomy or celestial bodies. The history of atlases traces back to early Chinese map collections and gained prominence in sixteenth-century Europe with the advent of the printing press, which allowed for widespread distribution of accurate maps. Notable figures in the development of atlases include Abraham Ortelius, considered the creator of the first modern atlas, and Gerardus Mercator, who popularized the term "atlas" in reference to his comprehensive work. The publication of atlases played a significant role in the age of exploration and the establishment of national borders. In modern times, atlases have evolved to include digital formats, reflecting changing technologies and user needs.
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Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps systematically covering a particular country, a region, or the entire world. The maps are usually bound together as a printed book, though other media, from hand-bound volumes to digital collections, have been produced. Maps in atlases are generally in a uniform format, although they may not all be to the same scale if they are representing geographical areas differing greatly in size. Atlases can be general or highly specialized in subject matter. A historical atlas, for example, includes maps from different periods which show change over time, often accompanied by charts, tables, and other forms of graphically presented information. Some atlases map things other than the traditional natural or human elements of the Earth’s surface; examples include anatomical atlases showing pictures and diagrams of various parts of the body, celestial atlases showing the positions of the stars and planets, and atlases of fictional worlds. Atlases are published for different purposes, including as textbooks, reference books, and coffee-table books for display.
Overview
There is evidence of Chinese map collections that resemble atlases from the early first millennium CE, and Chinese atlas production, focusing on China and the lands around it, continued with the introduction of printing to China in the Tang dynasty. The first atlases in the Western tradition emerged in sixteenth-century Europe, a time and place where geographical knowledge was rapidly expanding and mapmaking skill increasing. The introduction of the printing press enabled the construction of many copies of a map that were substantially identical. Works by cartographers like Johann Ruysch and Martin Waldseemüller built upon maps by earlier scholars, and incorporated findings of the Age of Exploration, such as the New World.
Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius published his Theatrum orbis terrarum (Theater of the World) in 1570, and it is often considered the first true modern atlas. The first work actually called an atlas was Atlas, or Cosmographical Meditations on the Universe as Created (1595), the work of Gerardus Mercator, another Flemish geographer and cartographer who did much to advance cartography. Mercator intended Atlasto be a study of the cosmos rather than just a collection of maps, but the term stuck to describe the maps. The term "atlas," used by Mercator in reference to a legendary ancient king said to be a great mapmaker, came to be identified with the giant named Atlas who upheld the world in Greek mythology.
The Netherlands continued to be a center of atlas publication into the seventeenth century, with some of the most impressive works published by the Blaeu family firm. The creation of relatively accurate maps was an important part of imperial expansion and the definition of national borders and national identity in Europe. However, by making this information public, atlases also challenged the ability of states to keep cartographical information secret from rivals, helping to distribute power.
The first atlas of the United States published in America was Matthew Carey’s Carey’s American Atlas (1795). Among the most influential atlas makers in the early United States was Scottish immigrant John Melish, creator of A Military and Topographical Atlas of the United States (1813). In the twentieth century, one of the best-known publishers of atlases was the American company Rand McNally, which popularized modern road maps. In the twenty-first century, atlases, like other forms of printed work, have increasingly been presented in digital form.
Bibliography
"Atlas". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Oct. 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/atlas-maps. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.
"Atlasas." Library of Congress, guides.loc.gov/maps-illustrated-guide/atlases. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.
Crane, Nicholas. Mercator: The Man Who Mapped the Planet. Holt, 2003.
Goffart, Walter A. Historical Atlases: The First Three Hundred Years, 1570–1870. U of Chicago P, 2003.
Holzer, Gerhard, et al. World of Innovation: Cartography in the Time of Gerhard Mercator. Cambridge Scholars, 2015.
Margócsy, Dániel. Commercial Visions: Science, Trade and Visual Culture in the Dutch Golden Age. U of Chicago P, 2014.
Schulten, Susan. Mapping the Nation: History and Cartography in Nineteenth-Century America. U of Chicago P, 2012.
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Wolter, John A., and Ronald E. Grim. Images of the World: The Atlas through History. Lib. of Congress, 1997.