Tracy W. McGregor Collection on the Discovery and Exploration of the Americas

This is one of the first Mercator atlases created by Gerhard Mercator himself. Mercator is known for his flat projections of the globe and straight longitude and latitude lines, which are still used in mapmaking today.

This book is the second in a series of volumes made by the engraver and printer, Theodor de Bry. The larger series documented European travel to the east and west Indies by various explorers and was illustrated by de Bry, who combined documentary images made by artists who accompanied European explorers with his own artistic renditions. This volume focuses on the French voyages to Florida from the account of René Laudonnière and based on watercolors by Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues. FSU currently has several of de Bry's volumes in addition to this one.

This atlas was created by Abraham Ortelius, a Flemish cartographer known for his well-organized, detailed atlases. The title of the atlas can be translated to "Theater of the World." This version of the atlas has been translated into the Tuscan dialect (precursor to the modern Italian language), as Italy was the hub for mapmaking during this time.