{{Short description|Cartographer from the Northern Netherlands}} {{for|the Brabantine jurist|Petrus van der Aa}} '''Pieter van der Aa''' ([[Leiden]], 1659 – Leiden, August 1733) was a Dutch [[publishing|publisher]] best known for preparing [[map]]s and [[atlas]]es, though he also printed [[Copyright infringement|pirated]] editions of foreign bestsellers and illustrated volumes. He also printed many maps that were often out of print, which he reissued.<ref name=WDL1>{{cite web|title=The Coast of Arabia the Red Sea, and Persian Sea of Bassora Past the Straits of Hormuz to India, Gujarat and Cape Comorin|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2914/|publisher=World Digital Library|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref> Some of his most popular maps were of the [[Africa]]n [[continent]], detailing locations such as [[Morocco]] and [[Madagascar]]. Many of his later works were printed for the general public in [[French language|French]] and [[Dutch language|Dutch]].
== Early life and family == Pieter van der Aa (1659–1733) was born in [[Leiden]], one of the leading centres of printing and publishing in the [[Dutch Republic]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pieter van der Aa |url=https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/108 |website=RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History |access-date=2026-04-26}}</ref> He came from a family connected with the book and print trades. His father was a stonecutter from [[Holstein]]; his brother Boudewyn was a [[printing|printer]] and his other brother Hildebrand a copper plate [[engraving|engraver]].<ref name="Crouch" />
He entered the book trade at a young age and trained in printing and publishing.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Map Maker Biography: Pieter van der Aa (Netherlands, 1659–1733) |url=https://nwcartographic.com/blogs/essays-articles/map-maker-biography-pieter-van-der-aa-netherlands-1659-1733 |website=NW Cartographic |access-date=2026-04-26}}</ref> By his early twenties, he had established his own business in Leiden as a printer, publisher, and bookseller, laying the foundation for his later work as a publisher of maps and illustrated books.<ref name=":0" /> == Career == [[File:Pieter Van der Aa 2.jpg|thumb|Pieter van der Aa's mark, with the Latin motto {{Lang|la|Tempore et industria}}]]Pieter van der Aa began his career at [[Leiden]] in 1683 as a Latin trade publisher, publishing classical texts pertaining to medicine and science. As he progressed, he began to publish atlases and maps, compiling numerous multi-volume collections of works. Many of these works were assembled from plates acquired from other [[Cartography|cartographers]] rather than engraved by van der Aa himself.<ref name="Crouch">{{cite web |title=Pieter van der Aa |url=https://crouchrarebooks.com/mapmakers/aa-pieter-van-der/ |website=Crouch Rare Books |access-date=18 April 2026}}</ref>
His ambition to become Leiden's most famous printer was fulfilled in 1715 with his appointment to head printer for the city and its university.<ref name="Crouch"/>
One of van der Aa's largest compilations relates to the history of [[Italy]] and [[Sicily]], an area of immense personal interest. Though he took credit for many of his compilations, several, such as the Dutch collection of travels to the [[East Indies]] and [[West Indies]], were admittedly simple improvements to others' works.
=== Galerie Agréable du Monde ===
Van der Aa's publishing career culminated in the illustrated atlas ''Galerie Agréable du Monde''. Issued in sixty-six parts and containing more than 3,000 plates, the work brought together maps, city views, and scenes of peoples and places from around the world.<ref name="Crouch" /> The plates depicted a wide range of subjects including landscapes, architecture, costumes, and views of cities and monuments.<ref name="Crouch" />
Many of the engravings used in the atlas had originally been produced by other publishers. Van der Aa later acquired these plates and reused them in his own publications.<ref name="Crouch" /> He often added large decorative borders to the engravings before including them in the collection, a feature that gave the volumes a distinctive visual appearance.<ref name="Crouch" /> The atlas reflected van der Aa's broader publishing practice of compiling large illustrated works from existing cartographic and engraved material.<ref name="Crouch" />
== Legacy ==
The orchid genus ''[[Aa (plant)|Aa]]'' is said to be named after him by the botanist [[Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach]] because he was the printer for the Dutch botanist [[Paul Hermann (botanist)|Paul Hermann]]'s "Paradisus Batavus". Published posthumously in 1698, this explanation is disputed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://falco.elte.hu/eoc/ParadisusBatavus.htm |title=Paradisus Batavus |accessdate=2004-11-17 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041019120423/http://falco.elte.hu/eoc/ParadisusBatavus.htm |archivedate=2004-10-19 }}</ref>
== Published atlases == * ''[[Nouvel Atlas]]'' * and the sixty-six volume ''[[Galerie Agréable du Monde]]'' [Leiden, 1728],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://leiden.courant.nu/|title=Historische Kranten, Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken|publisher=}}</ref> of which only 100 copies are said to have been printed. * Van der Aa, Pieter – F. Draakx schipvaart door de straat en Zuyd Zee gedaan om de gantsen aardkloot. – Leiden, Van der Aa 1706-08 [16 x 23,2 cm] * Van der Aa, Pieter – Zee-togten door Thomas Candys na de West Indien, en van daar rondom den gantzen aardkloot gedaan. * Van der Aa, Pieter – *T Noorder deel van Amerika. Door C.Kolumbus in zyn.. Leiden, Van der Aa 1706–08 [16 x 23,6 cm] * Van der AA, Pieter – Amerika of de Nieuwe Weereld Aller eerst Door C. Kolumbus; Leiden, 1705 * Van der Aa, Piter – Niew ([[Niue]]) Engeland in twee Scheeptogten door..John Smith.. Leiden, 1705 * Vander Aa, Pieter – De voor Eylanden van America.. Florida, New Mexico,... Leiden, 1705 * Van der Aa, Pieter, T Vaste Land van Darien ten Zuiden Cuba en Hispaniola Gelege – Leiden, 1705 * Van der Aa, Pieter – Cuba en Jamaica, soo als die door Kolombus.. Leiden, 1705 * Van der Aa, Pieter – Reys togt door Thomas Coryat van Jerusalem; Leiden, 1705 * Van der Aa, Pieter – De zee en land-reysen vandenridder Hendrik Blunt.; Leiden, 1705 * Van der Aa, Pieter – Melite Insula vulgo Malta; Leiden, 1712 * Van der Aa, Pieter – Valetta Civitas Nova Maltae olim Millitae; Leiden, 1712 * The plates in the Leiden University Catalogus librorum of 1716 in [[Quaerendo]], 22, 1992, p. 271–284, ill.
== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200"> File:Map-of-Turkey-and-Cyprus.jpg|Map of Turkey and Cyprus, 1719 File:Hermann Paradisus Batavus.jpg|Paradisus Batavus by [[Paul Hermann (botanist)|Paul Hermann]] File:A lady and gentleman of Goa.jpg|A lady and gentleman of Goa File:Pieter van der Aa - The Coast of Arabia the Red Sea, and Persian Sea of Bassora Past the Straits of Hormuz.tif|''The Coast of Arabia the Red Sea, and Persian Sea of Bassora Past the Straits of Hormuz to India, Gujarat and Cape Comorin'', 1707 File:Van der Aa De Stadt Alexandrie 1720 UTA.jpg|Map of Alexandria, 1720 File:Venice 1762 by Pieter van der Aa.jpg|Map of Venice, 1762 File:1720 Engraving of Brussels.png|Hand coloured engraving of [[Brussels]] as viewed from outside the [[Fortifications of Brussels|city walls]], 1720. File:English Quakers Tobacco Planters and Slaves, Barbados, 17th cent. (colorized).jpg|English Quakers Tobacco Planters and Slaves, Barbados, 17th cent. </gallery>
== References == {{reflist}} *{{cite book|title=The Oxford Companion to the Book|publisher= Oxford University Press|year= 2010| doi= 10.1093/acref/9780198606536.001.0001|isbn= 978-0-19-860653-6|editor1-last= Suarez|editor1-first= Michael F|editor2-last= Woudhuysen|editor2-first= H. R}} *{{cite book|title=The Biographical Dictionary of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge|volume= 1|issue= 1|publisher= Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans|year= 1842}}
== External links == {{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://merhav.nli.org.il/primo-explore/search?query=any,contains,van%20der%20aa%20map&tab=default_tab&search_scope=Local&sortby=lso01&vid=NLI&mfacet=rtype,include,Maps,1&mfacet=creator,include,Aa%20Pieter%20van%20der,1&lang=iw_IL&offset=0&came_from=sort Various maps by van der Aa] Eran Laor Cartographic Collection. The [[National Library of Israel]] * Objects related to [https://urus.uw.edu.pl/person/3788 Pieter van der Aa] in the [https://urus.uw.edu.pl/ Urus : Techniques and Reception of Graphic Art in Central and Eastern Europe (15th–18th centuries)] database
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aa, Pieter van der}} [[Category:1659 births]] [[Category:1733 deaths]] [[Category:17th-century Dutch cartographers]] [[Category:People from Leiden]] [[Category:Dutch publishers (people)]] [[Category:Dutch people of German descent]]