George Grierson (1680 - October 27, 1753) was an Irish printer and publisher active in Dublin during the first part of the 18th century. Grierson began publishing when he married Jane Blow, a daughter of the prominent Irish paper making and publishing family of James Blow. In 1727, he was admitted as a Freeman to the city of Dublin and was appointed to the office of Printer General to His Majesty in Ireland. Operating under the title, 'Kings Printer in Dublin' from 1732 to 1753, Grierson was the only printer in Dublin allowed to print Holy Bibles. Later Grierson's attention turned toward cartography, which he identified as a profitable sideline to Bible work. Most of Grierson's cartographic work involved pirating the work of the prominent English eccentric and map publisher Herman Moll. Grierson's first 'Moll' piracies were published shortly following Moll's death in 1732. Though superficially identical to the maps in Moll's The World Describ'd, Grierson's maps are in fact complete re-engravings, often with new cartouche work bearing unique ‘Irishcentric' dedications and themes. Grierson also issued piracies of The English Pilot and Salmon's Modern History. Although George Grierson can be credited with few original maps, his work established Dublin as a center for cartographic engraving and publication in the 18th century. Today's Grierson's Irish versions of Moll's maps are far rarer than Moll's own work and are highly sought after by collectors. Following his 1753 death George Grierson's son, Boulter Grierson, took over the business, beginning a family printing dynasty that would last well into the 19th century. Grierson's offices were located at the 'Sign of the Two Bibles and King's Arms', Essex Street, Dublin. More by this mapmaker...

Herman Moll (1654 - 1732) was an important 18th century map publisher and engraver based in London and Holland. Moll's origins are disputed with some suggesting he was born in the Netherlands and others Germany - the Moll name was common in both countries during this period. Most likely Moll was a German from Bremen, as his will, friends, and contemporaries suggest. What is known for certain is that he moved to London in 1678, possibly fleeing the Scanian War, where he worked as an engraver for Moses Pitt and other London map publishers. Around the turn of the century, Moll set up his own shop where he produced a large corpus of work known for its high quality and decorative flair. As a new émigré to England, Moll made himself more English than the English, and through his cartography proved a fierce advocate for his adopted nation. Most of Moll's early maps were issued as loose sheets that would be bound to order, however, he did publish several important atlases late in his career. Moll is said to have made the bold claim that without a doubt "California is an Island" and that he "had in [his] office mariners who have sailed round it." While California may not be an island (yet), it is true that moll had talent for attracting interesting friends and acquaintances. He frequented London's first stock exchange, Jonathan's Coffeehouse at Number 20 Exchange Alley, Cornhill. At the time Jonathan's was known as "a place of very considerable concourse for Merchants, sea faring Men and other traders" (Erleigh, The Viscount, The South Sea Bubble, Manchester: Peter Davies, Ltd., 1933, 21). Eventually this activity attracted the interest of stock brokers, who inspired by sailor's tales, sponsored the ill-fated South Sea Company, the world's first stock bubble. Moll's close circle, mostly from the Coffee House, included scientist Robert Hooke, the writers Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe) and Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels), the pirates William Dampier, William Hacke and Woodes Rogers, and the archeologist William Stukeley. Herman Moll's work was highly regarded for its decorative beauty and was pirated, most notably by the Irish publisher George Grierson, both in his lifetime and after his 1732 death at St. Clement Danes, London. Learn More...