"This is probably the earliest map of the British Isles still readily available in the early 1980s, and the collector will at once see that the proportions of Ireland and Scotland compared with England and Wales are not correct but, nevertheless, it was an influential map with a very wide circulation. Ormyskyrk for Ormskirk and Dantre for Daventry, and the omission of the relatively important see of Peterborough." Flemish influence - and/or a misreading of the text - is evident in the rendering of some of the names, e.g. Many of the maps in Ortelius' atlas were engraved by Francis Hogenberg, but whether he was personally responsible for the British Isles map is not established for certain. The cartouche containing descriptive text is surrounded by ornate strapwork there is a royal coat of arms, a compass and scale, and five ships. Ortelius' British Isles map is distinguished by a more sophisticated and ebullient style of engraving than most of the German and Italian examples hitherto. Through its launching, pre-eminence in map publishing was transferred from Italy to the Netherlands, leading to over 100 years of Dutch supremacy in all facets of cartographical production. He was the first publisher to have the latest maps from the best sources engraved to a uniform size for his atlas. Rather, he was an entrepreneurial map dealer, a keen collector of coins, and an active traveller and correspondent.
Unlike Mercator, Ortelius was not an engraver and only prepared a few maps himself, notably those appearing under his name in the classical section of his atlas, or the 'Parergon'.
"Abraham Ortelius map of the British Isles is based directly on the large map by his friend Gerard Mercator, to whom due acknowledgement appeared among the many prominent cartographers listed by Ortelius in the preamble of his new atlas, the 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum'.
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