JANSSONIUS, Johannes

The Luminous Columne or Sea Mirror.... for the benefit of all seafaring persons Amsterdam Jan Jansz. in de Pas-Caert 1654 See Koeman IV, pp.192-193, 201-202; Goos 17 (first Goos edition); Ja 2 (first recorded Jansson edition) Ref. Cat. NHSM p. 45. A unique Jansson issue; not known to Koeman. WorldCat only lists two copies dated 1654, both with Pieter Goos's imprint. The revival of maritime cartography in Amsterdam was signalled by publication of a new pilot guide, DE LICHTENDE COLUMNE ofte ZEE-SPIEGEL, in 1643-1644. Despite the copying habits of Dutch cartographers, its charts after Anthoni Jacobsz bore no resemblance to those of Colom or Blaeu. In 1650 Pieter Goos brought out an edition under his own imprint, presumably after becoming the owner of Jacobsz's plates (Jacobsz, or his sons, had to order new plates after this date). In about 1662, Goos changed the title of the work to DE NIEUWEIG GROOTE ZEESPIEGEL, though adding only one new chart and improving a minority of old ones. He continued to print from the same 60 plates for 28 years. Jansson brought out the Zee-Spiegel under his own imprint in 1651, with charts printed from the original plates. However, his involvement was fleeting and copies with his imprint are extremely rare. Koeman lists only the one 1651/1652 edition in Dutch 'which is in fact Goos's Zeespiegel with Janssonius's imprint on a slip of paper'; he also records a 1654 English edition, known from one copy at Greenwich, which makes the same use of the printed title slip 2 parts, first part in four books, folio (450 x 276 mm), [44] pp (Konst der Zee-vaert), 108 pp (Oostersche en Noordtsche schip-vaert), 107 pp (Westersche schip-vaert). Title with engraved allegorical border, the letterpress section on a pasted slip, 61 ENGRAVED CHARTS numbered 1-23, XXIII, 23 1/4, 23 1/2, 23 3/4, 24-57, several also folding, engraved maps and views in text, costal profiles and other woodcut illustrations including two volvelles. With an almanach for the years 1651-1661. (title washed but affected by a few flecks of red ink, charts no. 21, 24 and some others with margins cropped close). Contemporary marbled calf gilt, covers with large central lozenge within roll tool borders, armillary sphere at corners, gilt floral spine with label in one compartment, others with repeated sphere, black edges (recased, new endpapers)