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Interesting map of Europe and the Mediterranean, illustrating the travels of John Smith prior to his sailing to America. Smith was originally a merchant's apprentice. Following his father's death in 1596, he embarked on a remarkable journey through Europe and the Middle East. By his own account, Smith travelled through France and on to Italy and later fought wars in Turkey, Hungary and Transylvania. At on point, he was captured and sent toConstantinopel, where he was in turn given as a gift to the wife of a Turkish Pasha. Smith claims that the wife took a liking to him and allowed him to flea Turkey, at which point he fled to Georgia and was enslaved again, before killing his master and escaping back to Europe and returning to England in 1604. Another 3 years of domestic intrigue followed, before he sailed for America in 1607.
Pieter van der Aa (1659-1733) was a Dutch mapmaker and publisher who printed pirated editions of foreign bestsellers and illustrated books, but is best known for his voluminous output of maps and atlases. Van der Aa was born to a German stonecutter from Holstein. Interestingly, all three van der Aa sons came to be involved in the printing business. Hildebrand was a copper engraver and Boudewyn was a printer.
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