André Thevet (1516-1590) was a Franciscan monk. Thevet was one of the most widely traveled Frenchmen of his day. Thevet made numerous voyages in Europe, Africa and the Near East. He held the post of Royal Cosmographer from the reign of Henry II through that of Henry III.

Little is known of his early life. His first excursion into the world took place around 1550, when he accompanied Cardinal Jean de Lorraine on travels to Italy and the Mediterranean Basin. Shortly thereafter, Thevet published his Cosmographie de Levant, a compendium of facts about the people, places, flora and fauna of the area. The section on the Nile, for example, includes a woodcut depiction of a crocodile (p. 138), something contemporary readers would most likely never have seen. The intriguing illustrations have been attributed to Bernard Salomon.

Thevet's experience as a traveler drew the attention of Nicolas Durand, Chevalier de Villegagnon, who was preparing to establish a colony in what is now Brazil. He asked Thevet to accompany the expedition as its confessor. Thevet fell ill during the voyage and had to return to France after only ten weeks in Brazil. Using his own observations, however, combined with information gained from other travelers, Thevet quickly produced his Singularitez de la France Antarctique. The first edition was published in Paris in 1557.

After the publication of the Singularitez, Thevet received royal recognition and eventually became cosmographer of the Valois court. He began his most ambitious work, the Cosmographie Universelle, which described and defined every part of the known world.