Janssonius van Waesberge, Johannes

From GATE

Johannes Janssonius van Waesberghe (Rotterdam, 1616 – Amsterdam, 1681) was a Dutch printer, publisher and bookseller, active in Utrecht, Breda, Amsterdam and Gdańsk. [1]

Detail from the titlepage of De Sepi's Romani Collegii Societatis Jesu Musaeum Celeberrimu (1678)

Coming from a family of printers and booksellers from Rotterdam, van Waesberghe married in 1647 to Elizabeth Janszonius (1615-1681), daughter of the Amsterdam-based cartographer, printer and publisher Johannes Janssonius (Jan Jansz, 1588-1664).[2] Van Waesberghe was incorporated in the business of his father-in-law, eventually taking it over. He worked in partnership with his niece, Sara Janssonius, and her husband, Elizaeus Weyerstraten, as well as collaborating with other printers, publishers, booksellers, engravers, cartographers, etc, of which the most renowned was probably Joan Willemsz. Blaeu.[3] By 1675-1676 van Waesberghe had established the “Officina Janssonio-Waesbergiana” with two of his sons, Johannes and Gillis Janssonius van Waesberghe, who carried on the business.

In 1661, Janssonius editorial house secured a contract for exclusively printing the existing and future works of Athanasius Kircher in the Holy Roman Empire, the kingdoms of England and France, and the United Provinces of the Netherlands, for the sum of 2200 scudi. Two documents preserved at the Historical Archives of the Pontifical Gregorian University, APUG - a scribal, translated copy of a letter from Sig. Jansonio ed Eliseo Wegerstraed mercanti de libri in Amsterdam [4] and the draft of a reply from Kircher [5] - relate to the successful conclusion of these negotiations, detailing the terms of the contract and methods of payment of the agreed sum of money. Another manuscript, APUG Ms. 558, f. 107r-108v, is the 20-year-long privilege granted in 1662 by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold to the Amsterdam booksellers “Joannes Janssonius & Eliseus Weyestraet” for publishing the works of Kircher. [6]



Resources and further information:

GATE Monumenta Kircheri Works published by Janssinous van Waesberghe

Giuseffo Petrucci, Prodromo apologetico alli studi chircheriani, 1677
Athanasius Kircher, Mundus Subterraneus in 12. libros digestus: editio tertia, 1678
Georgius de Sepibus, Romani Collegii Societatis Jesu Musaeum Celeberrimum, 1678
Johann Stephan Kestler, Psicologia Kircheriana Experimentalis, 1680

Letters related to Janssonious van Waesberghe uploaded to GATE Monumenta Kircheri

APUG, Ms. 567, f. 52r-v : Kaspar Schott to Athanasius Kircher, Mainz, dec/1655
APUG, Ms. 563, f. 244r-v : Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge and Elizaeus Weyerstraten to Athanasius Kircher, Amsterdam, 1661, translated copy. Record at EMLO
APUG, Ms. 563, f. 265r-266v: Athanasius Kircher to Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge, Roma, 27/aug/1661
APUG, Ms. 558, f. 86r-v: Athanasius Kircher to Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge, Roma, 30/mar/1667

Other documents related to Janssonious van Waesberghe preserved at APUG

Correspondence between Janssonius van Waesberghe and Kircher

  • APUG Ms. 562, f. 167r–168v: Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge to Athanasius Kircher, Amsterdam, 18/jan/1664. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 562, f. 169r–170v: Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge and Elizaeus Weyerstraten to Athanasius Kircher, Amsterdam, 1/oct/1666. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 562, f. 173r–174v: Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge to Athanasius Kircher, Amsterdam, 29/dec/1666. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 565, f. 15r–v: Athanasius Kircher to Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge, Roma, 7/may/1672. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 565, f. 211r–v: Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge to Athanasius Kircher, Amsterdam, 3/oct/1675. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 561, f. 79r–v: Athanasius Kircher to Johannes Janssonius van Waesberge,[no date], draft. Record at EMLO


Correspondence mentioning Janssonius van Waesbergher

  • APUG Ms. 560, f. 134r-v: Adam Aigenler to Athanasius Kircher, Lisbon, 11/apr/1672. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 564, f. 87r-88v: Manfredo Settala to Athanasius Kircher, Milano, 22/ago/1668. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 560, f. 79r-v: Prospero Intorcetta to Athanasius Kircher, Palermo, 28/jul/1671. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms.566, f. 202r-v: Prospero Intorcetta to Athanasius Kircher, Lisbon, 15/nov/1672. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 558, f.70r-71v: Johann Friedrich von Waldstein to Athanasius Kircher, Olomouc, 26/set/1669. Record at EMLO
  • APUG, Ms. 566, f. 235r-v: Athanasius Kircher to Johann Friedrich von Waldstein, Roma, 16/nov/1675 Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 562, f. 74r-v: Philipp Müller to Athansius Kircher, Viena, 7/jul/1663. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 559, f. 80r-v: Philipp Müller to Athansius Kircher, Viena, 9/mar/1669. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 560, f. 90r-v: Philipp Müller to Athansius Kircher, Viena, 26/jul/1671. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 566, f. 237r0v: Athanasius Kircher to Philipp Müller, Roma, 12/set/1675. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 563, f. 305r-v: Athanasius Kircher to Pope Alexander VII, Roma, 1666. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 566, f. 111r-v: Jacobus Albanus Ghibbesius [James Alban Gibbes; Giacomo Albano Ghibbesi] to Athanasius Kircher, Roma, 15/fev/1676. Record at EMLO
  • APUG Ms. 560, f. 111r-v: Athanasius Kircher to Giovanni Paolo Oliva, Roma, 23/oct/1671. Record at EMLO



External links:

Items related to Johannes Janssonius van Waesberghe at the British Museum collection