Author: GONZÁLEZ DE MENDOZA, Juan.
Title: De historie ofte beschijvinghe van het groote rijck van China. Amsterdam, Cornelis Claesz. [printed by Jacob Cornelisz Vennecool, Delft], “1595” [= 1596/99]. 8vo. Modern polished tan calf, gold-tooled spine.
Description: 197, [1 blank] pp.Very rare second edition in Dutch (dated in the same year as the first) of Juan González de Mendoza’s very popular work on China, “one of the most influential early books on China to be published in Europe” (Reed & Demattè). It offers a detailed description of China together with lengthy accounts of several recent missionary voyages.“The book’s first section is a survey in three sections that introduces China’s history, antiquities, architecture, populace, religious beliefs and ceremonies, agriculture, military organization, and government. … Mendoza’s volume also contains descriptions of Japan and the Philippines and a chronicle of Spanish missions in the New World” (Reed & Demattè).The tight binding means that the inner ends of the lines of text run deep into the gutter, but the innermost letters can be seen. With underscoring and annotations in the margins of the first half of the book and a small hole in H4 with the loss of a couple of letters. In good condition.l STCN (2 copies); Typ. Batava 2129; WorldCat (4 copies); cf. Reed & Demattè.

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