# Pieter van der Aa

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Cartographer from the Northern Netherlands

For the Brabantine jurist, see [Petrus van der Aa](/source/Petrus_van_der_Aa).

**Pieter van der Aa** ([Leiden](/source/Leiden), 1659 – Leiden, August 1733) was a Dutch [publisher](/source/Publishing) best known for preparing [maps](/source/Map) and [atlases](/source/Atlas), though he also printed [pirated](/source/Copyright_infringement) editions of foreign bestsellers and illustrated volumes. He also printed many maps that were often out of print, which he reissued.[1] Some of his most popular maps were of the [African](/source/Africa) [continent](/source/Continent), detailing locations such as [Morocco](/source/Morocco) and [Madagascar](/source/Madagascar). Many of his later works were printed for the general public in [French](/source/French_language) and [Dutch](/source/Dutch_language).

## Early life and family

Pieter van der Aa (1659–1733) was born in [Leiden](/source/Leiden), one of the leading centres of printing and publishing in the [Dutch Republic](/source/Dutch_Republic).[2] He came from a family connected with the book and print trades. His father was a stonecutter from [Holstein](/source/Holstein); his brother Boudewyn was a [printer](/source/Printing) and his other brother Hildebrand a copper plate [engraver](/source/Engraving).[3]

He entered the book trade at a young age and trained in printing and publishing.[4] 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.[4]

## Career

Pieter van der Aa's mark, with the Latin motto *Tempore et industria*

Pieter van der Aa began his career at [Leiden](/source/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 [cartographers](/source/Cartography) rather than engraved by van der Aa himself.[3]

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.[3]

One of van der Aa's largest compilations relates to the history of [Italy](/source/Italy) and [Sicily](/source/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](/source/East_Indies) and [West Indies](/source/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.[3] The plates depicted a wide range of subjects including landscapes, architecture, costumes, and views of cities and monuments.[3]

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.[3] 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.[3] The atlas reflected van der Aa's broader publishing practice of compiling large illustrated works from existing cartographic and engraved material.[3]

## Legacy

The orchid genus *[Aa](/source/Aa_(plant))* is said to be named after him by the botanist [Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach](/source/Heinrich_Gustav_Reichenbach) because he was the printer for the Dutch botanist [Paul Hermann](/source/Paul_Hermann_(botanist))'s "Paradisus Batavus". Published posthumously in 1698, this explanation is disputed.[5]

## Published atlases

- *[Nouvel Atlas](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nouvel_Atlas&action=edit&redlink=1)*

- and the sixty-six volume *[Galerie Agréable du Monde](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Galerie_Agr%C3%A9able_du_Monde&action=edit&redlink=1)* [Leiden, 1728],[6] 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](/source/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](/source/Quaerendo), 22, 1992, p. 271–284, ill.

## Gallery

		- Map of Turkey and Cyprus, 1719

		- Paradisus Batavus by [Paul Hermann](/source/Paul_Hermann_(botanist))

		- A lady and gentleman of Goa

		- *The Coast of Arabia the Red Sea, and Persian Sea of Bassora Past the Straits of Hormuz to India, Gujarat and Cape Comorin*, 1707

		- Map of Alexandria, 1720

		- Map of Venice, 1762

		- Hand coloured engraving of [Brussels](/source/Brussels) as viewed from outside the [city walls](/source/Fortifications_of_Brussels), 1720.

		- English Quakers Tobacco Planters and Slaves, Barbados, 17th cent.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-WDL1_1-0)** ["The Coast of Arabia the Red Sea, and Persian Sea of Bassora Past the Straits of Hormuz to India, Gujarat and Cape Comorin"](http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2914/). World Digital Library. Retrieved 22 January 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Pieter van der Aa"](https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/108). *RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History*. Retrieved 2026-04-26.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Crouch_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Crouch_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Crouch_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Crouch_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Crouch_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Crouch_3-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Crouch_3-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-Crouch_3-7) ["Pieter van der Aa"](https://crouchrarebooks.com/mapmakers/aa-pieter-van-der/). *Crouch Rare Books*. Retrieved 18 April 2026.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_4-1) ["Map Maker Biography: Pieter van der Aa (Netherlands, 1659–1733)"](https://nwcartographic.com/blogs/essays-articles/map-maker-biography-pieter-van-der-aa-netherlands-1659-1733). *NW Cartographic*. Retrieved 2026-04-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Paradisus Batavus"](https://web.archive.org/web/20041019120423/http://falco.elte.hu/eoc/ParadisusBatavus.htm). Archived from [the original](http://falco.elte.hu/eoc/ParadisusBatavus.htm) on 2004-10-19. Retrieved 2004-11-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Historische Kranten, Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken"](http://leiden.courant.nu/).

- Suarez, Michael F; Woudhuysen, H. R, eds. (2010). *The Oxford Companion to the Book*. Oxford University Press. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/acref/9780198606536.001.0001](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Facref%2F9780198606536.001.0001). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-860653-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-860653-6).

- *The Biographical Dictionary of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge*. Vol. 1. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. 1842.

## External links

Media related to [Pieter van der Aa](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Pieter_van_der_Aa) at Wikimedia Commons

- [Various maps by van der Aa](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) Eran Laor Cartographic Collection. The [National Library of Israel](/source/National_Library_of_Israel)

- Objects related to [Pieter van der Aa](https://urus.uw.edu.pl/person/3788) in the [Urus : Techniques and Reception of Graphic Art in Central and Eastern Europe (15th–18th centuries)](https://urus.uw.edu.pl/) database

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States France BnF data Italy 2 Czech Republic Spain 2 Romania Portugal Netherlands 2 Norway Latvia Chile Sweden Poland Vatican Israel Finland Catalonia Croatia Artists ULAN MusicBrainz RKD Artists KulturNav Scientific illustrators FID People Netherlands Trove Deutsche Biographie DDB Other IdRef Open Library SNAC Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pieter van der Aa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_van_der_Aa) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_van_der_Aa?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.