Herman Moll

Herman Moll (1654? – September 22, 1732), was a London cartographer, engraver, and publisher.

Moll's exact place of origin is unknown, although his birth year is generally accepted to be the year 1654. He moved to England in 1678 and opened a book and map store in London. He produced maps from his studies of the work of other cartographers.

Due to Moll's important work in Dutch cartography and the fact that he undertook a journey in his late years on behalf of the Netherlands, it is assumed he originated from Amsterdam or Rotterdam. The name, "Moll" occurred not only in the Netherlands however but also in the north German area, which may suggest a German origin. Dennis Reinhartz's biography assumed that Moll came from Bremen, and other more recent works assume Germany as well.

Moll produced his earliest maps from studying cartographers such as John Senex and Emanuel Bowen. He probably sold his first maps from a stall in various places in London. From 1688 he had his own shop in Vanley's Court in London's Blackfriars. Between 1691 and 1710 his business was located at the corner of Spring Gardens and Charing Cross, and he finally moved along the River Thames to Beech Street where he remained until his death.

In the 1690s, Moll worked mainly as an engraver for Christopher Browne, Robert Morden and Lea, in whose business he was also involved. During this time he also published his first major independent work, the Thesaurus Geographicus. The success of this work likely influenced his decision to start publishing his own maps.

In 1701 he published A System of Geography, the first of his own publishing. Although it contained no fundamental changes in the presentation of his previous work, it helped him to assert himself as a freelance cartographer. Over the years, the work itself as well as individual maps were of influence on other publishers, as they were frequently copied and re-issued.

In the years that followed he brought out several volumes including Fifty-six new and accurate maps of Great Britain, a book of maps of the British Isles. Then came The Compleat Geographer which was an update to A System of Geography. He issued forty-two monochrome maps designed without the usual text, as by not using his usual colors he could produce them at significantly less expense than comparable works, and went through many new editions. In 1711 he began his Atlas Geographus, which appeared in monthly deliveries from 1711 to 1717, and eventually comprised five volumes. This included a full geographical representation of the world in color maps and illustrations. Moll's subscribers. As with his earlier works, the Atlas Geographus was eagerly copied and imitated.

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