Nicolas Bion (c.1652–1733) was a French instrument maker, engraver and scientific author whose work matters to the history of cartography through the practical tools and instructional texts that underpinned surveying, navigation and globe-making in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Active in Paris, he became closely associated with the production and explanation of mathematical instruments used by engineers, mariners and mapmakers.

Bion is best known for his treatise on scientific instruments, widely circulated in French and in translation, which described their construction and use and helped standardise contemporary practice. His publications, often illustrated with detailed engraved plates, document the material culture of measurement: compasses, quadrants, levels and related devices essential to accurate mapping.

Although not primarily a map publisher in the conventional sense, Bion’s influence is evident in the broader cartographic world through his engagement with globes, instruments and the technical training of practitioners. His name is therefore encountered in collections of early scientific works as well as alongside cartographic and nautical material of the period.

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