The full range of these historic voyages of discovery is depicted in the four sections that follow. The atlas begins with Ptolemy's map and brings the cartographic history of the great discoveries to the end of the sixteenth century, when Europe's colonial era was well established. This atlas traces the progress of mapping the world during the age of the great discoveries by displaying superb reproductions of original works that tell the dramatic story. This unique collection enables the reader to view the world as it appeared to those who were living when the greatest changes in geographical history took place. - Introduction.