with much attention devoted to defining terms, for example, of the globe, its divisions, climate zones, sphere, axis, poles, longitude and latitude. Many illustrations accompany the short text, which Waldseemüller describes as "outlines" of the subject, obviously suited for students.

About the book Waldseemüller writes: "The purpose of this little book is to write a description of the world map, which we have designed, both as a globe and as a projection. The globe I have designed on a small scale, the map on a larger. As farmers usually mark off and divide their farms by boundary lines, so it has been our endeavor to mark the chief countries of the world by emblems of their rulers" (Waldseemüller 1907, on the verso of map following page 66).