A map of the Strait of Hormuz connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. For centuries a strategic location. The city of Gammeron is no known as Bandar Abbas in Iran. Nearby is the small island of Ormus after which the Strait is named. Pierre van der Aa (1659-1733) was born in Leiden, the son of a stone cutter or sculptor. By the time he was nine years old he was already apprenticed to a bookseller. By 1682 he was the owner of a bookshop and auction. His output is so large that Koeman was sure that there were works yet to be identified. His printed catalogue of 1729 alludes to the fact that works could be made to order. As with many of his published books, the source of the plates contained within is various. Amongst these publications is arguably the biggest atlas ever published, the 66-volume ‘La Galerie Agreable du Monde’. Koeman (1967-70); Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004).