Georg Braun

Civitates Orbis Terrarum, with Frans Hogenberg, 1572 to 1617 The city atlas that sat beside Ortelius on the shelf; contemporaries treated the two as companions. Braun compiled it and wrote the texts, Hogenberg was among its engravers, and the six volumes ended up with 543 views of 475 cities on 363 leaves. What collectors love is the foreground: little figures dressed in the local costume of each city, which turns a bird's-eye plan into a street scene. Pick a city that matters to you; the smaller German and Italian towns have the same charm as the famous views of London, Amsterdam or Venice.