Photo courtesy of the British Library
FOR US GEOGRAPHY nuts, the world’s largest book – the Klencke Atlas – in the possession of the British Library will be unveiled to the public for the first time in over 350 years this summer.
Yes, the book is three and a half centuries old.
The Atlas contains 37 encyclopedic maps which provide summary views of the world at the time of its inception.
Here are just a few stats on this stupendous book.
- It takes six people to carry it
- It is 5ft tall
- It is 6ft wide
- As previously mentioned, it is 350 years old
Given as a gift to the king by Dutch merchants and preserved in the king’s cabinet of curiosities for centuries, its pages have never been publicly opened until now.
The grand exhibit featuring the Atlas is called Magnificent maps: Power, Propaganda and Art, and will be on display at the British Library in London from April 30th to September 19th, 2010