Five Sea Atlases Published by
Jacob Aertz. Colom 
[1600-1673]

By Jason Hubbard
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In issue #12 of Map Forum I listed the charts contained in four of Jacob Aertsz. Colom’s Sea Atlases, namely Koeman J. Col 4 (French), J. Col 6 (English), J. Col 12 and J. Col 27.  Following are four additional collations of Atlases in the Library of Congress, The Pusey Library in Harvard University and the Beinecke Rare Book Library in Yale University, as follows: J. Col 15, J. Col 23, J. Col 24, J. Col 28 B.  My heartfelt thanks for the time and patience of the staff in the above-mentioned libraries.

After having examined several of Colom’s Atlases it is becoming clear that there are a number of variations of the same chart.  At this point in time I am not in the position to assert one way or another that these variations are due to new states, as a result of reworking existing plates or of newly engraved plates covering the same area.  Until such time as detailed comparative examination is possible, I have indicated “early state (or plate)” where I have noticed differences from one edition to another.  I have also noted where major restoration of an Atlas has taken place as the measurements of the same charts can differ from one copy to another.
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As in the previous collations, following is a key to the abbreviations used.
Plate No: Number engraved on plate, if any.
Pos: Position of the chart in the Atlas.
Ref: Appearance of the same, or similar, chart in other Colom Atlases listed by  Koeman.
Size: Height vs. width, within ½  cm.  As insets are mostly irregular, their measurements are frequently preceded by a circa, or c.  Note that the measurements given for same chart included in two different Atlases can vary due to shrinkage or stretching of the paper caused by changes in humidity and temperature over long storage periods as well as from the results of restoration.
Scale: Colom included a scale bar in the majority of his charts, showing Duytsche  mylen,  Spaensche mylen and  Engelse en Franse mylen.  15 German,  17.5 Spanish or 20 English or French miles corresponding, in turn, to 1º of latitude as measured along the equator.  For the purposes of these collations, all measurements were taken from the scale bar in Duytsche mylen. In  converting, I have used the figure mentioned in Doursther, H.  Dictionnaire Universel des Poids et Mesures, republished by Meridian, Amsterdam, 1965.  Doursther states the German Meile as being 7.4089 km., so 15 German miles would represent  111,133.5 mts. or 1°.   I have chosen to show the resulting scale for each chart, though these numbers should be taken as approximate due to the limitations involved in precise measurement and the changes undergone by the paper over three and a half centuries as mentioned above.
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L’Ardante ou Flamboyante Colomne De La Mer, 1633
The New Fierie Sea-Colomne, 1639
The New Fierie Sea-Colomne, 1640
The New Fierie Sea-Colomne, 1649 [1651]
Atlas Maritimo o Mundo Aquatico, 1668
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