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Cheryl,
 
The cartographic dictionary of the Dutch Cartographic Society
(1991) defines atlas as:
 
"A systematic, coherent collection of maps, usually in the form
of a book, which represent a certain area or which treats one or
more geographic phenomenons" (it can alos be a loose-leaved
book).
In the past certain atlases were also referred to as 'kaartboek'
(which doesn't have a translation, but means 'mapbook')
 
The dictonary defines further 25 kinds of atlases. However it
doesn't say anything about the relation maps vs text.
 
In the introduction to the 'Atlantes Neerlandici' Volume I, C.
Koeman writes about one page (XI) about the problem of how to
define a map (see also 'La cartografia dels Paisos Baixos', p.
184) and the relation maps vs text becomes not more transparent.
Keeping in mind that Mercator wanted to create a geographical
encyclopedia which later resolved into an altas because of his
untimely death, we do not know what his real intention was.
 
However we'll define it, the definition will be arbitrary as to
the amount of maps a book must carry to be counted an atlas.
 
When using the word atlas in our sense it is well to define it as
a geographical atlas, as in general the word is used for books
which map certain visualized topics (:->), as we have atlases of
skeletons, plants, etc.
 
And then to know that last year there was a large unresolved
discussion on MAPHIST about the topic "What is a map?"
 
Jan Smits
Map Curator Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of The
Netherlands
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tel: + 31 70 3140241
fax: + 31 70 3140450