Barent Langenes ans his Caert-Thresoor

Barent Langenes, a Dutch bookseller and publisher of Middelburg (Zeeland), about whom little is known, was the first printer of the Caert-Thresoor (1598), a small-size atlas with an exciting history. This atlas had many editions in Dutch, Latin, French, and German, later brought out by Cornelis Claesz and Jodocus Hondius. Langenes was involved in the first two Dutch editions.

The Caert-Thresoor, is a collection of maps to which the text was adapted and not the reverse, as in the case with many geographical studies. The most exciting maps are those of the English and the Dutch in arctic waters, searching for the route to China (Northwest Passage). It records the departure of the third fleet of the Dutch in spring 1596, but not the return of survivors of this tragic voyage in August 1597. This atlas sets a new standard for minor atlases. Moreover, it was affordable to the citizens of the lowest income.
The text was rewritten, first by Petrus Bertius and reissued in 1600, secondly in 1609 by Jacobus Viverius. The edition with original basic text continued to be published until 1609, the year of Cornelis Claesz’s death.

Cornelis Claesz.

Printer and bookseller in Amsterdam, 1580-1609. He is famous for publishing maps, pilot guides, and atlases in the beginning period of the development of cartography in the northern Netherlands. He is noted for his co-operation with the cartographer Petrus Plancius and his editions of voyages. After 1590, the works of Lucas Jansz. He published Waghenaer, and in 1599, he acquired the publication rights of Barent Langenes’ Caert-thresoor.

The Caert-Thresoor.

The Caert-Thresoor of 1598 set a new standard for minor atlases. Scholars like Petrus Bertius and Jacobus Viverius edited the text. The small maps are exceptionally well engraved, neat, clear, and elegantly composed. They served many purposes in other books published in Amsterdam. Their contents reflect the level of cartography in Amsterdam at the turn of the century, where up-to-date information on newly discovered regions was readily available. The  Caert-Thresoor is a collection of maps to which the text was adapted and not the other way around, as is the case with many geographical studies. 

The first edition was published in 1598 by Barent Langenes, a bookseller and publisher in Middelburg.

The book was reissued under the title P. Bertii Tabularum Geographicarum Libri quatuor, in 1600. Bertius recomposed the contents, following Ptolemy's arrangement. Secondly, in 1609, Jacobus Viverius wrote an entirely revised Dutch text, published under the title Handboeck of Cort Begrijp des Caerten. In or after 1609, the year of Cornelis Claesz.'s death, a French edition appeared, printed by Matthaeus Becker for Hendrik Laurensz., the successor of Cornelis Claesz. Finally, an entirely new small atlas was created in 1616 by Jodocus Hondius Jr. All the maps were re-made, and the text by Bertius was revised.

The original maps from the Caert-Thresoor were used to illustrate many of the books on voyages and geography published in Amsterdam in 1596-1600. (Van der Krogt)