Ptolemaeus, Claudius.

Folio (305 x 200mm.), woodcut figure of Ptolemy on verso of title, 54 double-page woodcut maps, description to each map within a woodcut border, 7 woodcut diagrams in text (2 full-page), later vellum, first 5 maps with very small wormhole in inner margin, a few maps close cut at lower margins, some marginal soiling or spotting 

Burmeister 169; Nordenskiöld Collection 2:215; Phillips, Atlases 552; Shirley, British Library T. PTOL-8e

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This is the fourth and last of Sebastian Münster's editions of the Geographia based on Pirckheimer's translation, with an additional treatise, and enlarged indices by Konrad Wolffhart, generally known as Lycosthenes. The modern world map is from a new block and bears the monogram of the engraver David Kandel in the bottom left-hand corner (Shirley, Mapping of the World 92).

Sebastian Münster (1448–1552) was a mathematician, geographer and professor at Basel University. He also compiled a highly influential encyclopaedic work entitled Cosmographia, which first appeared in 1544 and contained forty-eight woodcut maps. He was among the first editors of a published geographical text to quote or acknowledge his sources and authorities. The same maps were used in the parallel editions of the Cosmographia (to 1578) and Ptolemy (to 1552). Münster's maps became the most influential general and regional maps until the first appearance of Ortelius's Theatrum orbis terrarum in 1570.