Author: BALLINTIJN, G.,
Title: Rumphius, de blinde ziener van Ambon. [eerste druk; first edition].
Description: Utrecht, 1944. small 8°. original publ. clothbacked boards. covertitle in bold red and black coloured type, large portrait of Rumphius, facsim. after the original 18th. century copper-engraving. (vii), 192pp. Monochrome facsim. after an old copper-engraved 18th. century title-print. many captioned monochrome illustrations on 12 facsim. plates reproduced from Rumphius' two major scientitic works about molluscs and shells and herbs from 17th-18th century Ambon and other islands of the Moluccas, large monochrome facsim. headplieces, references, commentaries to illustrations on final pp., Rumphius' life in chronology, table of contents. Dutch language historic survey about life and scholarly work by Georgius Everhardus Rumphius (1628-1702), or Georg Everhard Rumplf, who became a V.O.C. servant and was posted to Ambon, Moluccan Island Group, Dutch East Indies. Besides some personal information about Rumphius, which includes is physical condition becoming blind at a rather early age, compiler suplplies detailed information about Rumphius' scientific resear and travels into the Moluccan Archipelago, his correspeondence with foreign scholars, pays detailed attention to Rumplhius' scientific research into the Natural history of the area, which resulted in two masterly scholarly publications, the Ambon Herbal and the Ambon Rarity champer being the first ever fundamental and illustrated research in shells, molluscs and minerals as gathered in the Archipelago. A much underestimated and neclected popular but well documented publication. although this title has been published at the end of nazi oppression of holland in the Second Worldwar, the usual nazi im,presum is notpresent. good copy. (lower lower outer boards a liffle bit foxed).

Keywords: rumphius life work science reserarch scholars naturalhistory herbal shells molluscs voc ambon moluccas colonialism achievement magnumoplus information indonesia southeastasia