Search Results: Titles starting with B from Antiquariaat FORUM BV

[8], 232, 56 184, 40 pp.First edition (first issue), in the original Latin, of a history of Batavia, the Latin name for the Low Countries, though the subtitle here restricts it to the northern territories that belonged to the young Dutch Republic: the Betuwe, Holland, Zeeland, Friesland, Utrecht (province) and Gelderland. It contains works by several different authors, opening with a brief letter by the compiler, the Dutch historian Petrus Scriverius (1576-1660), who wrote several historical works on the Low Countries. The first section is a history of Batavia, containing two works by Gerardus Noviomagus, also known as Gerardus Geldenhouwer (1482-1542). Next come two treatises dealing with the origin of the Batavians and other matters, written by Cornelius Aurelius (ca. 1460-1531), best known for his Divisiekroniek. It is followed by some letters by various authors, including one by Desiderius Erasmus, and some texts by Adrianus Barlandus (1486-1538). Also included is a list of important rulers of the… Read More

[36], 320, [6]; [42], 178, [22], [20], 214, [4] pp.Three first editions, from the same publisher and in matching format, of poetic works in Dutch by Jan de Marre (1696-1763), who was a sailor for 20 years and based some of his works on his voyages to Asia. The first work in the present collection is on Batavia (now Jakarta). He describes in verse the glorious rise of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and its capital on Java. It is ranked one of the best Dutch poems of its time (see Van der Aa). One of its six parts concerns the Dutch trade on the Malabar Coast of India and Ceylon. The engraved frontispiece depicts subjugated black people offering valuables to the glorious personification of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) with a view of Batavia in the background. De Marre's second work (ad. 2) praises the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope (Cape Town) in the same format as his Batavia. It gives information on the topography and natural history of the Cape region. The third work in the present… Read More

[11], [1 blank] pp. plus interleaving.A photographic facsimile of the Strasbourg Latin edition (1505) of Amerigo Vespucci's account of what is usually called his third voyage (1501/02). Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512), who gave his name to America, sailed from Lisbon to Brazil and down the coast to the bay at what is now Rio de Janeiro and to Cape Frio in 1501/02. He notes in the present report that the land he is exploring is not Asia as had been expected, but an extremely large continent previously unknown, and he sailed further south along its coast than any earlier European voyager to that time. For this reason he calls the region "Antarctica". The upper woodcut on the title-page is one of the earliest attempts to depict indigenous Americans in general and Brazilians in particular.In very good condition, with the first leaf and last leaf slightly wrinkled and with an occasional light brown stain on the blank final page or in the margins. The marbled wrapper is rubbed and has new sewing. A rare early… Read More

[98], pp.Original-size illustrations of numerous gold, silver and copper coins officially recognised as legal tender by the Dutch government, with their proper weights in Engelsen and Asen (pennywight and grains) and their official values in guilders, stuivers and penningen.In 1586, five years after declaring its independence from Spain, the Dutch Republic proclaimed its first general coinage act. Cornelis Claesz. in Amsterdam published the first Beeldenaer, ofte Figuer-boeck in that year, and a second quarto and a sixteenmo edition plus four variants, all under his name, are usually listed under that year (Typ. Batava 440-446; Enno van Gelder 306-310). After a gap of 20 years Hillebrant Jacobsz. van Wouw, official printer to the Dutch States General, finally published an updated edition (though the province of Holland issued its own in 1604), and he and his heirs were to produce new editions regularly for the following 20 years.With the title-page pasted to the fly-leaf, a tiny wormhole throughout… Read More

A very attractive watercolour view of Point de Galle in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) by Albert Berg (1825-1884), German diplomat, explorer and landscape painter. The view looks out over the water, with a group of palm trees close by on the left next to an outcropping, and another group further away at right, with several boats and a small building. Berg was part of the "Eulenberg Expedition", a Prussian diplomatic mission to Japan, China and Thailand (1859-1862), led by Friedrich Albrecht zu Eulenberg. The expedition sailed to Japan by way of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), where Berg drew the present view. The official account, partly edited by Berg, was published in seven volumes from 1864 to 1873 as Preussische Expedition nach Ost-Asien (1860-1862).In fine condition.l For Berg: Thieme & Becker III, p. 385; for the Eulenberg Expedition: Howgego, 1850 to 1940, E19.

X, 42; XXX, 445, [10] pp.A fine morocco volume comprising the first five of Seyffarth’s monographic contributions to Egyptology (apparently all that had been published at the time of binding: two more were to follow by 1840). While the first part contains the earliest catalogue raisonnée of the substantial Berlin collection of papyri, parts 2-5 (published with continuous pagination) constitute a bold investigation of early Egyptian astronomy and its all-pervading cosmological cult.This section includes a hand-coloured frontispiece of astronomical animal forms and ten large folding plates, all lithographed, showing important pieces of archaeological evidence: the Navicula astronomica (Paris), Zodiacus Tentyriticus (Paris), Zodiacus Taurinensis (Turin), Sarcophagus Sethi (London), Sarcophagus Ramsis (Paris), Monolithus Amosis (Paris), Mensa Isiaca (Rome) and a Papyrus funeralis formerly in the d’Hermand collection. The final part is an astronomical lexicon, a typographical masterpiece that fits more… Read More

8, [2], 265, [1] pp.First and only edition of a series of 9 essays by the German zoologist and anatomist Arnold Adolf Berthold (1803-1861), in the fields of anatomy, zootomy and physiology. The main essay, "Das Brustbein der Vögel" on the sternum of birds, is illustrated with 6 plates. The others cover sea-anemones (Actinia coriacea), ruminating, and the renewing and shedding of antlers. Very good copy. Binding a bit rubbed. Essays on anatomy, zootomy and physiology by Arnold Adolf Berthold.l BMC NH, p. 153; Strong I, p. 144; for Berthold: ADB II, p. 512.

VI, 136 pp.First and only edition of the German translation of an account of a voyage to Australia undertaken by the Irish/British explorer James Hingston Tuckey (1776-1816), sometimes erroneously called James Kingston Tuckey. As first-lieutenant of the Calcutta he sailed to Australia to expand the British colony of New South Wales around Port Phillip (Melbourne). The Calcutta, together with the Ocean, left England in April 1803 carrying a marine detachment, free settlers and ca. 300 convicts. Tuckey made "a complete survey of the harbour of Port Phillip and a careful examination of the adjacent coast and country" (DNB), one of the earliest proper surveys of the area. To survey the area, Tuckey also visited Tasmania, founding a settlement what would late become Hobart.Tuckey describes his voyage via the Cape Verde and Rio de Janeiro, commenting on the latter's trade (including slave trade), politics and population. They continued sailing to Tristan da Cunha and Cape Town (South Africa). They arrived… Read More

[4], XII, 80 pp.First edition of the Dutch translation of Instruction sur la culture, l'usage, et les avantages de la betterave champêtre … by Abbé de Commerell (Paris, 1786), after the 4th edition of the English translation by John Coakley Lettsom. Translated into Dutch by Jan Christiaan Sepp. The mangel beet, a cultivar of the common beet Beta vulgaris, is now grown primarily as cattle fodder, but was formerly eaten by people and used to make a fermented drink.With a new 8-page preface by the secretary of the Amsterdam Maatschappij ter Bevordering van den Landbouw, with the live signature of the secretary, H. Calkoen, in brown ink. In very good condition and largely untrimmed, preserving most deckles and point holes.l STCN (2 copies).

Dutch adaptation of Travels into Poland, Russia, Sweden and Denmark. William Coxe (1748-1828), Anglican priest, historian and tutor to various young noblemen, travelled extensively in northern Europe as tutor and companion to George Herbert (1759-1827), son of the Earl of Pembroke, who was to succeed to his father's title in 1794. The account of his travels, containing first-hand observations and gleanings from local contacts, together providing "a vast amount of historical and cultural material" (Van Gestel-Van het Schip), proved very popular and was reprinted several times. Each volume with manuscript records of the book's readers from a reading circle, giving a remarkably detailed record of each volume's circulation. Small 19th-century ink stamps. In very good condition and almost entirely untrimmed. Marbled wrappers rubbed and spines tattered.l V. Gestel-Van het Schip 64; Petersen, Travels in Norway, p. 14; STCN (5 copies, incl. 3 incompl.).

[16], 296; [4], 252; [4], 336; [4], 352 pp.First edition of the German translation of a description of Batavia on the island of Java in the Dutch East Indies, now Jakarta in Indonesia. It was first published in Dutch as Batavia, de hoofdstad van Neêrlands O. Indien in 1782. The book not only provides a wealth of information on the Dutch colonial capital Batavia, but also describes Java’s natural history, geography, climate and tropical diseases (including beriberi) and the trade carried on by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the East Indies. The information is presented in an encyclopaedic manner, elaborating on each subject in a well-ordered way. The plates in the present German edition based on those in the first Dutch edition. Johann Jakob Ebert (1737-1805) translated this anonymous Dutch work and dedicated it to the Saxon librarian Johann August von Ponickau (1718-1802). Interestingly the appendices of volume 2 that contain juridical documentation are in the original Dutch, pp.… Read More

[14], 346 pp.The first German edition of Boswell's Account of Corsica (1768), translated by Anton Ernst Klausing. In the first part Boswell recounts historical and geographical information about Corsica, while the second part includes a lively and detailed narrative of his journey to the island, interspersed with conversations with the Corsican patriot and leader Pasquale Paoli. The conversations with Paoli centre on democracy, social freedom, religion, and, of course, the Corsican Cause. Following Corsica's invasion by the French in 1768, Paoli took refuge in England, where he was feted by Samuel Johnson and his circle.Boswell's account was very successful. First published in 1768, it was immediately reprinted several times and translated into French, Dutch, Italian and German.The map with a small tear, binding chafed, corners bumped. A very good copy with the bookplate of Franz Pollack-Parnau on front pastedown.l VD 18, 10550321; Watson II, col. 1211; cf. Cox I, pp. 138-9 (other eds).

VIII, 36; [4], 70, [2 blank]; [4], 87, [1 blank], [4], [2 blank] pp.Complete third Dutch edition, with the illustrations printed from the original plates, of three classic works of pomology (two illustrated), originally published in 1758 and 1763 as Pomologia, Fructologia and Dendrologia. They were also translated into French and German. The twenty plates illustrating ninety apples and pears were drawn by the author and engraved by Jan Caspar Philips (ca. 1700-1775) and Jacob Folkema (1692-1767). Those of branches of fruit and nut trees were no doubt drawn by the author as well but are unsigned. Knoop (1700-1769) was gardener to Princess Anne (mother of Willem V, Prince of Orange, and his regent from 1751 to her death in 1759) at her Marienburg estate near Leeuwarden. In this edition, the plates are printed on the outer part of whole sheets bound as folding leaves. This makes it easy to look at the plates while reading the text.With the manuscript owner's inscription of "J.C.J. Copijn" in black ink on… Read More

[4], 90, [2 blank] pp.First and only edition of a description of the Dutch colony of Curaçao, by the first Dutch writer who permanently settled on the island. Although the book was written for an audience in The Netherlands, much of the information is of practical use and seems to aim at new visitors or settlers. After a description of the geography and climate of the island, the author describes the various settlements forming Willemstad. The houses of Willemstad are described as being in Dutch style and plastered white, although the government has started painting the houses yellow and dark grey.The author adresses salvery only when he states that his European reader, "agitated by the growing number of writings by so-called philanthropic authors", should not think that the slaves lead a hard life, especially compared with the common people in Europe. What follows is a description of the so-called easy life of the slaves who, the author believes, have far less needs than a person of European… Read More

[6], XXXXI, [1], 408, [14]; [2 blank] XLVI, 270, [2] pp.First Dutch translation of an important and famous account of the Danish royal expedition to the Middle East, Egypt, Persia and India (1761-67), the first scientific expedition to this area. Niebuhr's account is here bound with the Dutch translation of Michaëlis's work, containing a review of the first. "The expedition had been proposed by the Hebrew scholar Johann David Michäelis of Göttingen for the purpose of illustrating certain passages of the Old Testament, and initially envisaged only a single traveller, possible an Arabic scholar. However, the idea rapidly blossomed into a fully-fledged scientfiic expedi - tion. The team eventually assembled, for which there was no appointed leader, included Niebuhr as surveyor, along with Friedrich Christian von Haven, Peter Forskall, Christian Carl Kramer, Georg Baurenfeind, and a Swedish ex-soldier named Berggren'' (Howgego). Carsten Niebuhr (1733-1815) was the sole survivor, and his work represents… Read More

[16], 140, [8], 104, [8]; 56 pp.First edition of Cretser's account of The Hague, with Huygens's Zee-straet (mentioned on the title-page of the first part, but with its own title-page, pagination and signatures, so that it could also be sold separately). A second edition was published in 1729. Some browning, otherwise in very good condition.l Bodel Nijenhuis 1070; Klaversma & Hannema 390 & 736; Nijhoff-Van Hattum 70.

[6], 89, [1 blank] pp.First and probably the only early edition of a description of the islands of Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba, with a folding map of Curaçao and plan of Fort Amsterdam, and a folding plate showing the explosion of the Dutch warship Alphen on 15 September 1778. With binder's ticket of G.F.L. Ophof, probably the younger since the elder died in 1925, and the owner's label and owl bookplate of the jurist and bibliophile F.C. Koch (1873-1957), all on the front paste-down. The map with some folds, slightly soiled, otherwise in good condition.l JCB 2569; Muller, America 506; Sabin 31486 (see also 17983); STCN (9 copies); Tiele, Bibl. 469 (misdated 1789); not in Church; Streeter.

79, [1] pp., lacking frontispiece (pp. 1-2).Rare work detailing the Antwerp Feast of Our Lady of Victory on 7 October 1771, commemorating the Battle of Lepanto (7 October 1571), where the Holy League famously defeated the Ottoman fleet off the coast of western Greece. It opens with an account of the battle, followed by detailed descriptions of the commemorative festivities. At the time of the battle, the Ottoman Empire was regarded as a serious threat to Christendom and the victory encouraged false hopes of its imminent collapse. Pope Pius V instituted the annual Feast of Our Lady of Victory, which was changed into Our Lady of the Holy Rosary under Gregory XIII, and is today known as the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Lacking the frontispiece, otherwise in good condition.l UniCat Belgium (7 copies); not in KVK/WorldCat.

XXXVI, 219, [1 blank], [11], 224-491, [1 blank]; [12], 262, [2 blank], VIII, [3], 268-376, 397-519, [1 blank]; VIII, 262, [2 blank], VIII, [3], 268-403, [1 blank]; [4], 115, [1], 124 pp.First edition of the Dutch translation of Pococke's celebrated monograph on the Near and Middle East, praised by Gibbon as a work of "superior learning and dignity" (Decline and Fall, ch. 11, n. 69). This Dutch edition was augmented with 27 plates."Pococke travelled extensively in Europe from 1733-36 and continued on to the Levant, reaching Alexandria in September 1737. He remained three years in the Eastern Mediterranean, visiting Egypt, Palestine, Asia Minor and Greece. His book describes these journeys but not necessarily in chronological order. ... Pococke achieved a great reputation with this publication; the work was very popular during his lifetime and was praised by Gibbon" (Blackmer).A couple plates in the last volume slightly browned and a few spots on the first few leaves of the first volume, otherwise a… Read More

[8], 190, [2 blank] pp.Rare first Dutch edition of a detailed account of the Greek islands (the first edition to include the sea chart), by the great Dutch-German Admiral and naval strategist Kinsbergen, known as the Hero of the Black Sea for his successes in battles against the Turks in the 1770s. He gives a detailed description of the region, island by island, with the emphasis on navigation along the coasts, but also with information on fortifications. The book is explicitly directed to military men, seamen and merchants active in the area, and expresses the hope that political changes may in the future lift these islands out of their present state.The map of Greece and the surrounding seas is in Mercator projection at a scale of about 1:1,400,000, with rhumb lines (with a fleur-de-lis indicating north toward the head), parallels and meridians, and reticulated scales of latitude in the left and right border. Neither book nor map bears Kinsbergen's name, but both give his initials R.v.K. (R… Read More