Acquired From: Leen Helmink
Colouring: Uncoloured
Condition: Good
Confirmed: No
Dealers ID No.: 19021
Description: This rare French edition of the Journal du Voyage de l'Inde Orientale presents a contemporary account of the first Dutch voyage to the East Indies (159597), under the command of Cornelis de Houtman. The expedition marked a turning point in European navigation and trade, successfully establishing a direct maritime route from the Netherlands to the Indonesian archipelago and thereby laying the foundation for the Dutch spice trade.nOriginally published in Dutch in 1597, the account was rapidly translated and expanded, with editions appearing in Latin and French the following year. The French version, issued in 1598, includes detailed observations on local peoples, customs, trade practices, currencies, flora and fauna, and topographical features encountered during the voyage. Notably, it also contains a brief Malay vocabulary, underscoring the growing European interest in linguistic and cultural knowledge of the region.nCompiled from eyewitness reports and official logs, the Journal reflects the practical concerns of early Dutch commercial expansion and the broader ambitions of humanist geography. Its publication by Bernard Langenes in Middelburg aligns with the city's emergence as an important printing and trading hub in the late sixteenth century.nThis edition is a valuable historical document for understanding early Dutch exploration and the initial phase of European engagement with maritime Southeast Asia.
First published: Middelburg: Bernard Langenes, 1597
Mapmaker: Houtman, Cornelis de (1565-99)
Notes: Purchase details
Primary Category: Book/Atlas
Rarity: R1 Extremely rare – occasionally seen on the market
Sheet size (cm): 17.2×25
Technique: Copper Engraving
This state: 1598, the first French edition
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