Novus Orbis seu descriptionis Indiae Occidentalis libri XVIII .... Novis tabulis geographicis et variis animantium, plantarum fructuumque iconibus illustrati

Book Description

Leiden: Elzevier, 1633. Folio. (13 3/16 x 8 5/8 inches). Half-title. Engraved title with elaborate emblematic and architectonic border, 14 double-page engraved maps by Hessel Gerritsz, 68 woodcut illustrations. Contemporary calf, covers with double-fillet border in blind, spine in seven compartments with raised bands, the bands flanked by pairs of fillets in blind, painted figure '4' carefully painted in an attractive early calligraphic hand in white paint in the uppermost compartment, red- stained edges, expert restoration to head and foot of the spine, modern cloth chemise, modern red morocco-backed cloth slipcase, lettered in gilt on the spine. An exceptional copy of the first Latin edition of 'arguably the finest description of the Americas published in the seventeenth century' (Burden), the maps include the first to use the names Manhattan, New Amsterdam (for New York) and Massachusetts, and 'one of the foundation maps of Canada' (Burden) This work is one of the most important 17th- century New World histories. It is a cornucopia of early knowledge of the Americas and was compiled by de Laet, a director of the newly formed Dutch West India Company with access to all the latest geographic knowledge. Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix (1682-1761,) writing in the 18th century, noted that the work as a whole 'is full of the most excellent and curious details of the natural history, and the character, manners, and customs of the American aborigines, derived from the reports of the European mission establishments in America.' The present first edition in Latin was preceded by two editions in Dutch (the first of which was published in 1625). De Laet continued to add to and improve the work throughout his lifetime: the present edition contains 14 maps as opposed to the 10 in the 1625 edition and the text has been considerably expanded. This copy is unusual in two respects: firstly its outstanding condition, and secondly for the early, certainly 17th century, annotations by an English-speaking owner who appears to have had some contact with the Americas, or, at least, with the products of the region. The front free endpaper includes an accomplished small ink drawing of a plant labelled 'Cassavi' with a two-line note beside it 'Mammosaporta / a Jamaica fruite;' the second blank includes a reference to an important scientific work by Mario Bettino first published in 1645 ('Marii Bettini Apiarium Mathematicum;') the index of the subjects of the woodcuts on the page preceding the first page of the main text includes two references which correctly identify 'a Kinge Crab. novis Anglis' and a pineapple as a 'Queene Pine'. The maps are by Hessel Gerritsz and are some of the very best to appear up to that time. Gerritsz had trained under Willem Blaeu but had been chosen in preference to his old master when the appointment of cartographer to the Dutch West India Company was made. The charming textual illustrations are chiefly of biological or botanical specimens, and are generally surprisingly accurate for their time, and each of the eighteen constituent books is turned over to the consideration of a different region of the New World. The quality of the maps can be gauged from the fact that they served as a prototype for the mapping of America, with a number of them being reused in various later 17th-century atlases. The maps are titled as follows: 1. 'Americae sive Indiae occidentalis tabula generalis' [Burden 229 'The best west coast delineation to date'] 2. 'Maiores minoresque insulae. Hispaniola, Cuba, Lucaiae et Caribes' 3. 'Nova Francia et regiones adiacentes' [Burden 230 'One of the foundation maps of Canada'] 4. 'Nova Anglia, Novum Belgium et Virginia' [Burden 231 'The first [map] to use the names Manhattan and N. Amsterdam. It is also the earliest to use... Massachusets (sic.)'; Cumming 35; Schwartz & Ehrenberg p. 105] 5. 'Florida. et regiones vicinae' [Burden 232 'Its influence was quite considerable'; Cumming 34] 6. 'Nova Hispania, Nova Gallicia, Guatamala' [Burden 215 'The delineations of the coastlines here was the most accurate to date'] 7. 'Tierra Firma item Nuevo Reyno de Granada atque Popayan' 8. 'Peru' 9. 'Chili' 10. 'Provinciae sitae ad fretum Magellanis itemque fretum Le Maire' 11. 'Paraguay, o prov. de rio de la Plata: cum adiacentibus Provinciis, quas vocant Tucuman, et Sta. Cruz de la Sierra' 12. 'Provinciua de Brasil cum adiacentibus provinciis' 13. 'Guaiania sive provinciae intra rio de las Amazonas atque rio de Yviapari sive Orinoque' 14. 'Venezuela, atque occidentalis pars Novae Andalusiae' Alden II:337; Asher 3; Bell L33; Borba de Moraes I, p.451; cf. Brunet III,741; European Americana 633/65; JCB (3)II:246; cf. Johnston Cleveland 196; Rodrigues 1352; Sabin 38557; Streeter Sale 37; Streit II:1619; Tiele 628; Vail 84; Willems 382

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