Klencke Atlas – The Largest Book in the World

By Minnesotastan in Book & Literature, World Records on Feb 7, 2010 at 4:30 pm

The British Library has announced that the Klencke Atlas will have its first-ever public showing this summer as part of a map exhibition.

It is almost absurdly huge – 1.75 metres (5ft) tall and 1.9 metres (6ft) wide – and was given to [Charles II] by Dutch merchants and placed in his cabinet of curiosities.

At the time of its creation, it was intended as “an encyclopaedic summary of the world.”

Link. Previously on Neatorama: The [other] Largest Book in the World

Tags: Book & Lit, British Library, Klencke Atlas, maps

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NorwegianBlue
Feb 7th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Amazing that even though it first moved to the British Museum over 180 years ago it has never been publicly displayed with it’s pages open. I find it irritating when publicly funded museums keep treasures hidden away. The public own them, the public have a right to see them. Museums do not, or at least should not, exist to store items only for academic study.

BTW while the Grauniad is well known for its typographical errors, however surely their proof readers should have spotted that 1.75m is not 5 feet.
pyrit
Feb 7th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
It’s too big for its boot(s).
wow
Feb 7th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
if that books 5 feet then those are some little people…

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