The best work on Apianus' writings is that by F. van Ortroy entitled Bibliographie de l'Oeuvre de Pierre Apian which first appeared in the journal Bibliographie moderne in Mar-Oct, 1901. It was reprinted in 1963 by the Meridian Publishing Company in Amsterdam. In this work, van Ortroy enumerates and comments on every map, pamphlet and book written by Apian. He deals with their various editions and translations, and cites the major continental libraries in which they are to be found.

The accompanying table outlines the major editions of Cosmographia discussed here, giving the short title of each, the language in which it was printed, the place, date and source of publication, and number of pages. Notes are included as well as the reference numbers used by van Ortroy. Those wishing more information on any particular edition or variant will find it in his publication.

In his research, van Ortroy came upon a number of references in catalogs to copies of the Cosmographia which he was unable to locate and confirm by physical examination. These 'ghost' or unknown copies may simply be bibliographical mistakes. A second table lists these unverified 'ghost' editions by language.