The Mercator Publishing Family The Mercators are one of the most outstanding families in the history of map-making. Gerard Mercator is best known for his world map (1569), constructed on what is now known as Mercator's projection. While teaching cosmography, Mercator realized the need for a modern collection of maps to supersede the Ptolemaic atlases. He set out to publish a complete description of the Universe, both heaven and earth. This was a massive project which Gerard was unable to complete in his lifetime (1512-1594). His son, Rumold, completed and published the Atlas in 1595. This was the first time the name "Atlas" was applied to a bound collection of maps, and like Mercator's projection, has remained in everyday use to this day.