Geldria et Transysvlania Per Gerardum Mercatorem.

A fine, early map of the area of Gelderland in The Netherlands. The map shows details of all cities, towns, and villages in Gederland. North is at the top. To the north is the Zuider See.

Gerard Mercator (1512-1594) was one of the most famous geographers of his time. His name is familiar to this day. Mercator was noted for his rigorous and methodical approach to the preparation of his maps. He, and his family members, were responsible for the research and development of the maps, and much of their engraving, printing, and publication.

In 1585, this map was first published. In 1595, the map was included in the famous Mercator Atlas Sive Cosmographicae...  After the edition of 1595, one further edition of this atlas was published by the Mercator family in Duisberg in 1602 with this same map. In 1604, the copper plates for the atlas were sold to Jodocus Hondius and Cornelis Claesz. In 1606, Hondius introduced a completely revised edition of Mercator's atlas, Atlas sive Cosmographicae...... and used this map from the Mercator plates for inclusion in the atlas, or as it is often called, the Mercator-Hondius atlas.
Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612) was the founder of the famous 17th century Dutch map publishing family.
Hondius, along with sons Jodocus II and Henricus and son-in-law Jan Janssonius, was prominent in Dutch cartography and his family competed aggressively with the emerging Blaeu family map business.  There is Latin text on the verso describing the Gelderland with a signature of "Qqqq" and pages 198-199 signifying that this map came from an edition of the atlas of 1613 (vd Krogt, p. 631).
This map last appeared in a French edition of the atlas in 1633. This map was completely changed and a new copperplate was engraved and included in the Mercator-Hondius series of atlases by Henricus Hondius from 1629 to 1646-49. Other copper plates of the area were engraved by Janssonius for use from 1638 to to c.1680.

Reference: Van der Krogt, Peter. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, vol. 1. 't Goy-Houten: HES Publishers,1997.