LOIRE VALLEY TOURAINE TURONENSIS DUCATUS

Jodocus Hondius I(1563-1612) was one of the foremost map engravers of his day; he worked for many Dutch publishers and was also employed by the English map- and print-sellers, Sudbury and Humble, to engrave the maps for John Speed's "The Theatre Of The Empire Of Great Britaine", published in 1612. Hondius married Coletta van den Keere (sister of Pieter van de Keere - also heavily involved in the map trade) thus strengthening his links with the map world at this time.

Hondius bought the copperplates of Mercator's "Atlas Sive Cosmographicae ..." at the auction of Gerard Jr.'s effects in 1604. He added another forty maps, including new maps of the continents and important regional maps of the Americas, before publishing a new edition of the "Atlas ..." in 1606 that was in direct competition with Ortelius' "Theatrum". As many of Hondius' maps were more up-to-date, the Mercator-Hondius "Atlas ..." effectively superseded Ortelius' "Theatrum".

Jodocus also had the plates of the "Atlas ..." reduced at this time in order to publish them in the "Atlas Minor" that first appeared in 1607. Cornelis Clasz and Johannes Janssonius of Arnhem (the elder Janssonius) were the publishers involved in this 'miniature' endeavour.

Henricus and Jodocus II were sons of Jodocus I. From 1619 the "Atlas ..." was published under the Henricus Hondius imprint. Henricus appears to have been heavily involved in the "Atlas ..." from 1619 until 1633 when his brother-in-law's name and imprint, that of Johannes Janssonius, also started appearing on the "Atlas ..." After 1636 the name of the "Atlas ..." was changed to "Atlas Novus" with Janssonius being responsible, in the main, for its publication.