Atlas or cosmographical meditations upon the fabric of the world
Published posthumously, this atlas is the culmination of Gerald Mercator’s cosmographic work. Mercator planned for the atlas to have five parts: a description of the creation of the world, a description of the universe, a history of the natural world, a separate history on the world’s inhabitants, and only then a geography of the world. However, he was not able to write the history of the universe or the natural world before his death. Nonetheless, the first, fourth and fifth parts of the atlas were published by his son, Rumold Mercator. The first few maps in the atlas are preliminary maps of continents, while the rest are detailed maps of western Europe. The atlas privileges natural features: bodies of water, forests and mountains are all clearly marked and labeled. In addition, Mercator labels adjacent territories with different colors to highlight regional boundaries and includes small illustrations of prominent towns. Central to Mercator’s understanding of geography is an understanding of the divine. Mercator was born Catholic though was he was also sympathetic to Luther’s Protestantism. With this atlas, he aimed to better document and understand the visual element of the divine revelation. While there are 102 maps in the atlas that make up 90% of the book, they are drawn, illustrated, and described not necessarily to better understand the world, but to better understand the divine’s creation. However, Mercator is also famous for his 1569 projection that uses mathematics and geography to simplify land and sea navigation. The maps in this atlas, particularly the preliminary maps, use this projection. Mercator is a clear example of an individual using scientific thought and religion in tandem to drive world innovation. Jacob Flignor '22
Dvisbvrgi Clivorvm [Duisburg, Germany]: Rumold Mercator, 1595.
Mercator, Gerhard, and Rumold Mercator. “Atlas sive Cosmographicæ meditationes de fabrica mvndi et fabricati figvra.” Stuttgart: Coron-Verlag, 1979.
Special Collections, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
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Facsimile in Latin; commentaries in German
Carleton Library Special Collections (Folio) (G1007 .M4 1979)