Joan Blaeu

Joan Blaeu was a Dutch cartographer born in Alkmaar, the son of famous cartographer Willem Blaeu. In 1620 he became a doctor of law at the University of Leiden but he joined the work of his father. Joan became chief cartographer to the Dutch East India Company from 1638.

The 17th century Amsterdam was the perfect place to start a flourishing publishing firm for maps and atlases. In those days, Amsterdam was expanding centre of international trade, overseas expansion and wealth. Reliable maps for navigation were not only in need by numerous merchants, sailors, and adventurers, but it also turned out that many well-to-do citizens were curious for the world behind the horizon and were prepared to spend lots of money on luxuriously designed atlases and beautiful earth globes and celestial globes.

In 1635, Joan and his father published the Atlas Novus in two volumes. His next big publication was world map, Nova et Accuratissima Terrarum Orbis Tabula, incorporating the discoveries of Abel Tasman, published in 1648. Around 1649, he published a collection of Dutch city maps named Toonneel der Steeden (Views of Cities), and in 1654 he published the first atlas of Scotland. Blaeu’s greatest achievement was Atlas Maior issued in 1662, which expanded to between 9 and 12 volumes, depending on the language of the publication. It contained over 3,000 text pages and approximately 600 maps, and was the most expensive book money could buy in the later 17th century. Blaeu planned to publish two more parts of the Atlas, one about coasts, seas and oceans and the other with maps of the skies. These were never published as in 1672 a fire broke out in the workshop, and Joan Blaeu died the next year.