A manuscript atlas entitled 'Description géographique de tous les estats sujets à la de couronne Pologne, par Sanson fils ' is kept in the library of the Chantilly Palace in France. It was made around 1664. In addition to a lengthy description of individual Polish lands, it also contains 15 maps of the various parts of the Commonwealth. It is considered by researchers to be the first such comprehensive atlas of the Commonwealth.

As part of a research project of several years, carried out by the Polonica Institute, a contemporary edition of the 17th-century source text was prepared - the manuscript of the original atlas was transcribed and collated, in accordance with the principle of publishing historical sources. Its translation into Polish was accompanied by an extensive scientific commentary by the author. In addition, the authors have also compiled the text of the introduction to the chorography and more broadly to Nicolas Sanson's atlas. According to their conception, the publication is intended to combine the components of a scientific monograph and a source edition. Furthermore, in addition to a reproduction of the entire atlas, the book will also include a reproduction of a large map of the Republic by Sanson, held in the Paris National Archives.

The publication 'The oldest atlas of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Maps and Chorography by Nicolas Sanson (1600-1667)', edited by Wojciech Walczak, Karol Łopatecki and Andrew B. Pernal, will be published by the Institute Polonica in the scientific series 'Studies and Materials'.