NIEUHOF, Johan.
Gedenkweerdige Brasiliaense zee- en lant- reize ...
Amsterdam, widow of Jacob van Meurs, 1682.
With: (2) NIEUHOF, Johan. Zee en lant-reize, door verscheide gewesten van Oostindien ... en inzonderheit een wijtloopig verhael der stad Batavia.
Amsterdam, widow of Jacob van Meurs, 1682. 2 works in 1 volume. Folio. With an engraved general title page, 2 typographical title pages for the two works with Van Meurs' woodcut vignette, the first printed in red and black. Ad 1 with a full-page engraved coat of arms of the dedicatee Nicolaas Witsen, a full-page engraved portrait of the author, and 14 engraved plates (1 double-page map, 2 double-page plates, 2 full-page, and 9 half-page in the text). Further with 6 woodcut decorated initials. Ad 2 with 69 engraved plates (3 double-page maps, 26 double-page plates, 16 full-page plates, and 16 half-page plates in the text), 6 woodcut decorated initials, and 1 woodcut tailpiece. Contemporary blind-tooled vellum, manuscript title on the spine. [4 blank], [12], "240" [=246], [2]; [4], "308" [=310], [4], [4 blank] pp.
€ 12,500
First edition of a splendidly illustrated 17th-century account of Brazil and of the East Indies, describing the author's voyages in those regions and describing their topography, flora, fauna, cities, clothing, customs and religion, with a 5-page account of his travels in Africa at the end. Part one covers Brazil (including parts of the West Indies) and part two the East Indies. Nieuhof gives his own graphic eyewitness account of the 1646 siege of Recife, and his account of Brazil in the years 1644-1647 "is very valuable indeed, being richly documented from the original sources and reproducing much of the official correspondence between the local Dutch and Portuguese authorities" (Boxer). The double-page plates include four maps, ten views of buildings and other sights in Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia), several other town views, five plates showing numerous species of fish, and four of plants. The full-page and half-page engravings show a wide variety of animals and plants, natives of various trades and social standings, showing their clothing (or lack thereof) and activities. The introduction, by the author's brother, provides a good deal of biographical information. The preliminaries also include poems by the author himself, and by J. de Lingelbach, P. Ketting, Jacob Steendam and Zacharias Kaheingh.
The binding has been professionally restored, the vellum is creased and somewhat stained, the edges of the boards are very slightly scuffed. The leaves are slightly browned around the edges, the full-page illustration on page 145 of volume 2 comes from another copy and has been added later, the full-page illustration on page 219 has a different title than what it should have according to the "aanwijzing voor den boekbinder" and shows 2 Bougis men, instead of a man and a woman. Otherwise in good condition. Ad 1: Alden & Landis 682/126; Borba de Moraes p. 614 (gives publication year as 1681); Boxer, Dutch in Brazil, pp. 294-295; Brasilien Bibl. Robert Bosch, 145; JCB, p. 104; Lipperheide 1627; Rodrigues 1770; STCN 843094494; USTC 1818211; Ad 2: Alden & Landis 682/124; JCB, p. 105; Landwehr VOC 282; Lipperheide 1472; STCN 8430946356; USTC 1818210; cf. both works together: Nissen, ZBI 2975; Sabin 55278; STCN 843094311; Tiele, Bibl. 799; USTC 1818212; for Nieuhof: NNBW VIII, cols. 1216-1217.
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