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Dear colleagues in the history of cartography, a happy 2012 to you all! This passing of another threshold in the years that we have been - and will be - working on the Atlas der Neederlanden project may be a suitable occasion for a concise review and perspective of this multi-sided enterprise. The Atlas and the project: The Atlas der Neederlanden [= Atlas of the Netherlands], kept in the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam, is a 9-volume composite atlas including over 600 map sheets covering virtually the whole territory of the Dutch Republic in the eighteenth century. Although the size of all volumes is of a regular folio-atlas type, the maps included are very different in size, contributing to the typical looks of a private collector’s atlas. Many of them are oversized and multiple folded within the atlas volumes. This collection was completed and bound together in the second decade of the nineteenth century. The many multi-sheet wall maps included found protection against all kinds of threats like insects, light, dust, dirt etc. within the safe covers of the bindings. Therefore, their appearance is almost mint in many cases, bright, fresh, as if printed and hand coloured only yesterday. This is in great contrast to the rather few surviving mounted counterparts, which have been on display on walls for a long period, often bearing visible scars of hardship and restoration. Nevertheless, although the paper quality is generally very fine, in the course of two centuries numerous assembled, mounted sheets have suffered severely from being folded out and in repeatedly. Inevitably tears, holes, cracked paper and bad wrinkles are very often encountered. This huge atlas is the focus of a project including map-by-map cataloguing, restoration, digitization, reproduction and exhibition. Map cataloguing was completed in 2008, preparations and planning for further action were done in 2009 and 2010, the paper restoration was completed in summer 2011, and digitization is in good progress at this moment, to be completed by March 2012. Preparations for a full-size facsimile edition are well underway. In the course of this year 2012 the first steps in the direction of an exhibition on the Dutch landscape at the end of 2013 will be taken. In 1810, two hundred years before the start of this project, the Netherlands were annexed and became part of the French Empire. In 2013, two hundred years after the withdrawal of the French and the inauguration of sovereign prince Frederik Willem (to become King Willem I), the project will reach its end. The well-preserved atlas will then be the monumental focus of an exhibition on the Dutch landscape, both celebrating the bicentennial of the foundations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which was definitely established in 1815, and the bicentennial of this Atlas der Neederlanden. The project will be fully completed as soon as the final restoration of the bindings will have taken place, early 2014. Web site and facsimile: Half-way the project now, digitization, image processing and the facsimile-edition are the core business of all project activities at this moment. That’s why we are happy to announce the Atlas der Neederlanden website which was completed last December. In my opinion it’s a nice introduction and it offers a first visual acquaintance with the atlas and some of its contents, and – last but not least – the envisaged facsimile edition, which is a project of Asia Maior / Atlas Maior Publishers in cooperation with the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam. Asia Maior is well-known for the recent multi-volume publications on the cartography of both the Dutch United East India Company and the West India Company. At this moment it’s in Dutch only, but the information above is a concise summary of the information to be found on the AdN website: http://cf.uba.uva.nl/atlasderneederlanden. Because this facsimile publication will be extremely limited, and investments will be high, and a lot of professional handwork will be involved, and expensive materials will be used, the price will inevitably be €6995 per set of 9 volumes + 1 volume introduction (P+P included for the Netherlands and Belgium). Definite realization of the facsimile project will be dependent on a minimum of subscribers by April 2012. So your interest and support is highly appreciated! For more information you can address to Asia Maior / Atlas maior on: http://www.asiamaior.nl , or you can alternatively contact me on: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Some interesting additional external information on the Atlas der Neederlanden on: http://www.pictura-im.nl/nl/nieuwe-projecten/717-de-atlas-der-neederlanden-topstuk-uva-gedigitaliseerd http://www.historischecartografie.nl/Logboek/Nieuws/Grote-schoonmaak-Atlas-der-Nederlanden-begonnen.html http://atlasderneederlanden.blogspot.com/ With kind regards, Jan Werner Drs. Jan W.H. Werner Conservator Kaarten & Atlassen, Kaartenzaal Curator Maps & Atlases, Map Room Bijzondere Collecties - Universiteit van Amsterdam Oude Turfmarkt 129, 1012 GC AMSTERDAM P.O. Box 94436, 1090 GK AMSTERDAM NL T +31(0)20 5252354, F +31 (0)20 5257301 www.bijzonderecollecties.uva.nl<http://www.bijzonderecollecties.uva.nl/> Beelddatabank Kaarten & Atlassen: http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/kaartencollectie Website ATLAS DER NEEDERLANDEN: www.atlasderneederlanden.uva.nl<http://www.atlasderneederlanden.uva.nl/> [Description: Description: Description: banner 300 pix]
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