Beschreibung:

WERDENHAGEN, Johann Angelus von and Matthäus MERIAN (1593-1650). De Respublicis Hanseaticis. Frankfurt: M. Merian, [1641]. 6 parts in one volume, 2° (321 x 198mm). Engraved general title, title to part VI with engraved vignette, 24 engraved portraits, including portrait of the author, 39 double-page maps and charts, most after W. Blaeu, and 104 double-page or folding plates after Merian, some containing two or more views, on guards. Two engraved diagrams in part VI. (Portrait of the author rehinged, other old paper repairs at blank margins or on plate versos, occasional fragments torn from margins, some browning or waterstaining primarily affecting margins of plates rather than the overall view, view of Dieppe torn with slight loss, that of London with small hole, of Rome with clean tears near centre fold, slight loss to view of Venice near repaired fold, some browning of text, M1 holed with slight loss, old ink stain affecting outer margin of text and plates in part VI.) Contemporary vellum, spine titled in manuscript at head and with later Italian arms in gilt at foot (upper cover bowed). Provenance : Sinclair (18th-century armorial bookplate and shelf-marks); Italian arms on binding with legend 'Rinasci piu gloriosa.' Second edition of this Hanseatic history, but the first edition to be illustrated by Merian, including panoramas of London, Rome, Venice and Constantinople, and with town plans and views of all the principal ports in Europe. The number of maps and plates is subject to slight variation. This copy is without the large folding map recorded in some copies. It does not contain the view of Padeborn (no. 156 on the plate list). The view of Soest, on the same plate as that of Osnabrück (no. 149), is conversely omitted from the list. Shirley 345.