Homeward bound book

27 October 2015

A precious volume of sixteenth-century maps and cityscapes was formally returned by Hertford College to the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin at a special event on 15 October 2015.

The volume ­– which binds together a 1573 German edition of Abraham Ortelius’s Theatrum Orbis Terrarum and a 1574 German edition of Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg’s Civitates Orbis Terrarum – originally appeared in the inventory of the Geographical Institute at the Humboldt before going missing following the Second World War. Having ended up at Hertford through unknown circumstances, the two works have now been restored to the Rare Books Collection at the Humboldt.

To mark its return, the two institutions have collaborated with the Bodleian Library to digitize the volume, with the result that these two beautifully engraved and hand-coloured works can now be studied and enjoyed worldwide online.