Cacciatore - Nuovo Atlante Istorico - 1831-1833

145 TAVOLE - POPOLI, CITTÀ, MONUMENTI, MONETE E COSTUMI DEL MONDO – GRANDE ATLANTE ILLUSTRATO
Important and monumental illustrated historical atlas published in Florence between 1831 and 1833 under the direction of Leonardo Cacciatore, one of the most ambitious Italian editorial projects of the early 19th century dedicated to the dissemination of universal history through images. Complete in three volumes, the Nuovo atlante istorico gathers no. 145 plates devoted to ancient and modern civilizations, including geographical maps, city views, monuments, archaeological finds, coins, costumes, civil and religious scenes, and other testimonies of the material culture of peoples. The work integrates history, geography, archaeology, ethnography, numismatics and art history according to the encyclopedic taste typical of the Restoration era. The plates, many of which are folding, constitute the true heart of the work and transform the three volumes into a vast visual repository of human history, conceived both for study and for the education of the educated classes.

WHY TO BUY
145 TAVOLE! A vast repertoire of maps, views, monuments, costumes and world civilizations.
3 VOLUMI COMPLETI! A great Florentine encyclopedic project of the 19th century.
STORIA + GEOGRAFIA + ARCHEOLOGIA + ETNOGRAFIA! An illustrated journey through ancient and modern peoples and cultures.
LEGATURE COEVE UNIFORMI! A set with strong decorative and collectible presence.

MARKET VALUE
Complete copies of the Nuovo atlante istorico are particularly interesting when they preserve the entire corpus of the 145 plates and uniform bindings. Value is supported especially by the richness of the iconographic apparatus, the completeness of the three volumes and the presence of numerous folding plates. For a complete specimen in good overall condition a retail value in the region of €900-1,800 appears realistic, with the possibility of higher demand for copies particularly fresh, complete and well preserved in contemporary bindings.

PHYSICAL / CONDITION
Three volumes. Volume I: pp. (2), 4 nn., 368, 16, (2). Volume II: pp. (2), 384, 20, (2). Volume III: pp. (2), 482, 2 nn., 18, (4). Illustrative apparatus composed of a total of 145 plates including maps, views, monuments, archaeological plates, coins and costumes, many of them folding. Contemporary uniform bindings in green half-leather with marbled boards, titles and ornaments impressed in gold to the spines and edge trimming with normal signs of wear. Maps with staining, browning and small defects compatible with age. As with all old volumes, slight defects or restorations not expressly mentioned may be present.

FULL TITLES & AUTHORS
Leonardo Cacciatore.
Nuovo atlante istorico.
Florence: Tipografia all’insegna di Dante, 1831-1833.
Three volumes.
145 total plates.
Volume I: pp. (2), 4 nn., 368, 16, (2).
Volume II: pp. (2), 384, 20, (2).
Volume III: pp. (2), 482, 2 nn., 18, (4).

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Leonardo Cacciatore was an editor, compiler and cultural promoter active in Florence in the first half of the 19th century. His name is mainly linked to the production of geographic, historical and didactic works aimed at spreading knowledge to a cultured but not necessarily specialist public. The Nuovo atlante istorico represents his most ambitious project: a work in which text and image collaborate to build a true visual history of humanity. Cacciatore operated within the cultural climate of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, characterized by a strong interest in scientific dissemination, geography, archaeology and comparative knowledge of civilizations. The breadth of the iconographic program reveals a modern conception of the atlas, no longer limited to cartography alone, but transformed into an encyclopedic instrument capable of illustrating territories, peoples, monuments, costumes and material testimonies.

RARITY
The Nuovo atlante istorico is not merely a textual work but a complex editorial project whose completeness largely depends on the presence of the numerous plates. Complete copies in three volumes and preserved with all 145 illustrations are significantly more desirable than partial series or missing some maps. The variety of the iconographic apparatus, ranging from maps to views, from archaeology to costumes, moreover increases the transversal appeal of the work. The present copy, complete in all three tomes and preserved in uniform contemporary bindings, therefore holds particular charm for collections of atlases, world history, ethnography and 19th-century iconography.

HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE
The Nuovo atlante istorico belongs to the great era of encyclopedic atlases developed in Europe from the late 18th century to the first half of the 19th century. In this period the representation of history gradually ceased to be entrusted solely to the written text and was accompanied by maps, views, monuments, artifacts, costumes and images of peoples. Cacciatore’s work reflects this new sensibility perfectly. The 145 plates allow the reader to compare civilizations, territories and cultures through an immediately visual language, transforming the book into a didactic and encyclopedic instrument. The atlas thus constitutes a significant testimony of Italian historical culture of the Restoration era and of the way 19th-century Europe organized and represented its knowledge of the ancient and modern world.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Leonardo Cacciatore, Nuovo atlante istorico, Florence, Tipografia all’insegna di Dante, 1831-1833.
ICCU – OPAC SBN.
Graesse, Trésor de livres rares et précieux.
Phillips, Atlases: A Catalogue of Printed Maps, Atlases and Geographical Books.
Tooley, repertori dedicati alla storia della cartografia e degli atlanti.
Repertori bibliografici dedicati agli atlanti storici, alla geografia e all’editoria illustrata italiana del XIX secolo.