Another famous cartographers of the 17th century is Jan Janssonius of Holland. Born in 1588 in the city of Arnhem, Jan Janssonius’ first published works were the maps of Italy and France. He was popularly known by the name Jan Jansson.
Jan Janssonius’s father was a professional publisher and bookseller. His son adopted the profession of publishing and set up his own business in the city of Amsterdam. Jan Janssonius married the daughter of the Jodocus Hondius, one of the most reputed publishers and cartographers in Amsterdam. In collaboration with his brother-in-law, Henricus Hondius, he published various editions of the atlases of Mercator/Hondius. The famous Hondius Atlas that contained separate volumes on Italy and the English Counties was updated under the directions of Jan Janssonius. A separate volume of English County Maps were published by him in the year 1646.
His partnership with Henricus continued between 1630 and 1638. After Henricus’ death, Jan Janssonius continued the business, publishing 11 volumes of Atlas Major. Apart from his map making profession, Jan Janssonius also owned a chain of bookstores.
The good work of Jan Janssonius was carried on by his son in law – Johannes Van Waesbergen, after his death.
