Author: MONTANUS Arnoldus (ca. 1625 - 1683) :
Title: De Nieuwe en Onbekende Weereld of Beschryving van America en 't Zuid-Land...
Description: .: 41. Amsterdam, Jacob Meurs, 1671, thick in-folio, 31,5 x 19,5 cm, engraved title+ title with engraved vignette + full page portrait of Ioan Maurits Nassau + (4) + large folding map of the Americas + 585 pp + (27)(index, list of plates), with 70 half-page in-text engravings, complete with seven portraits, fifteen double-page maps and thirty-two double-page views. This a total of 55 plates (54 according the list + the Maurits portrait ; complete copy) . Bound in contemporary full vellum with blindtooling on both covers, raised back. Joints of binding expertly repaired, endpapers renewed, margins of the first leaves repaired, folding map repaired with some loss of original paper in the fold (practically no loss of information as it occurs in the ocean). A few tears repaired in the double-page plates, some thumbmarks and or stains at a few leaves. Notwithstanding these defects still a fine/good copy of this rare and important book in its original Dutch vellum binding. First edition of this finely illustrated book covering all of the Americas. It was the best illustrated work of the American continent at the time of publication and it was almost immediately translated in English (by John Ogilby) and German. The plates in the text are the same as those in the translations, but are by definition earlier and therefore better printings. It contains e.g. a map of the New-York area where Brooklyn is still called Breukelen, a map of Virginia, Carolina. The folding map at the beginning still depicts California as an island. The book contains also an important section on Brazil. Church 613, Sabin 50086, Streeter HBS 52892.. .

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