The Flemish engraver and cartographer Jodocus Hondius first made a name for himself producing illustrations based on the voyages of Francis Drake. Hondius, however, is better known to modern historians for his 1604 purchase of the copper plates and publishing rights of the Mercator maps. Hondius did not waste time in bringing the Mercator maps to the burgeoning European map market, and he added a few missing maps to create a collection that offered purchasers an up-to-date view of the world.
