1650 JANSSON Joannes Bohemia Czech Republic

Johannes Jannson (1588-1664) was born in Arnhem where his father was a bookseller and publisher. In 1612 he married the daughter of Jodocus Hondius, the cartographer and publisher and established his own business in Amsterdam as a book publisher. He produced his first maps in 1616 and subsequently he produced a enormous amount of maps, perhaps not rivalling the Blaeu family but running a very close second in quantity and quality. From 1630 to 1638 he went into partnership with his brother in law Henricus Hondius, issuing further editions of the Mercator/Hondius Atlases to which his name was added. On the death of Henricus he took over the business expanding the Atlas still further, eventually publishing an 11 volume Atlas Major in 1662, on a scale similar to Blaeu’s Atlas Major.