Janssonius van Waesberge, Johannes

From GATE

Johannes Janssonius van Waesberghe (Roterdam, 1616 – Amsterdam, 1681) was an Amsterdam based publisher, who continued the business of his father-in-law, Johannes Janssonius.

In 1661, Janssonius editorial house secured a contract for printing the existing and future works of Athanasius Kircher for the sum of 2200 scudi, with privileges comprising the Holy Romam Empire, the kingdoms of England and France, and the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Two documents at APUG - a scribal, translated copy of a letter from Sig. Jansonio ed Eliseo Wegerstraed mercanti de libri in Amsterdam [1] and a reply from Kircher [2] - relate to the successful conclusion of these negotiations.


see EMLO.

After visiting the Musæum or gallery of Athanasius Kircher in the Romane College at Rome, in December, 1664, the English traveler John Ray thus concludes his record of the occasion in his journal:

Kircher at present is translating into Latin an Arabick manuscript De Simplicium medicamentorum facultatibus. His book titled Mundus Subterraneus is now in the presse. The Engines which we saw in his musæum are all figured & described in his Ars magnetica. We were told that Johnson of Amsterdam had given 2000 crownes for to have the printing of all his workes: Blaeuw offered 1500.[3]



  1. APUG Ms.563, fol. 244r–v
  2. APUG, Ms. 563, f. 265r-266v
  3. Manuscript notebook kept by Mr Ray. Hampshire Record Office, 19M59/5, f. 16-19. 1664-1665. Transcribed in Michael Hunter, John Ray in Italy: lost manuscripts rediscovered