Jan Huyghen van Linschoten was a Dutchman, born in Haarlem, who at the age of sixteen left Enkhuizen to serve just over five years (1583 to 1589) as Secretary to the Portuguese Archbishop of Goa in India. Here, he had access to many Portuguese portolans as well as other valuable commercial information. 

Linschoten left Goa for home in January 1589.  On the way to Portugal, his ship was pursued by an English fleet and lost its cargo in a storm while anchored off the Azores.  After the loss of the cargo, Linschoten was persuaded to stay and help recover it; he spent two years on Tercera, working and preparing his notes from Goa.  While on Tercera, at the request of the Governor, he prepared a manuscript map of the area, which resulted in this map. 

Linschoten eventually arrived in Lisbon early in 1592, and then sailed home to The Netherlands. 

In the Netherlands, Linschoten wrote a history of his years of travel, the Voyage ofte schipvaert van Jan Huyghen van Linschoten naar Oost ofte Portugaels Indien ... 1579-1592, which incorporated all that he had learned from the Portuguese.  This book and the accompanying maps provided precise information on the Portuguese sea routes to the East, their re-supply points around Africa, and their trading stations in the East. The book had a tremendous influence on Dutch expansion in the East and particularly in Java.

This famous Itinerario, which was immediately translated and passed through a great many editions. This book not only opened the way to the East Indies for the Dutch, but it also served as the model for scores of later travel accounts.

Subsequent editions with Dutch text were published in 1604, 1614, 1623, and 1644, an edition with Latin text in 1599, and editions with French text in 1610, 1619, and 1638.

An English text edition of the Itinerario was published in London in 1598, entitled Iohn Huighen van Linschoten his Discours of Voyages into ye Easte & West Indies.

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