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LINSCHOTEN, Jan Huygen van : His Discours of Voyages unto ye Easte & West Indies. Devided into foure Booke

By [John Windet for] Iohn Wolfe printer to ye Honorable Cittie of London, [1598], London, 1598

Folio (290 x 190 mm.), full contemporary calf, blind panelled with ornate central blind feature to both boards, spine with raised bands, blind ruled, with later ties?, some minor repair to top and bottom of the spine. With title page laid down, complete with the exception of all folding plates, the portrait of Linschoten and the title to the third book, those in the text and other titles are all present, some light waterstaining, otherwise in good condition.

The first English edition, translated from the original 1596 Dutch. Lacking the folding plates as above. For those more interested in the text and unwilling to pay the considerable amount extra to obtain a complete copy, this is a good example. It contains smaller maps of Sumatra, Java Major, Saint Helena, Congo and Spain. The work 'Contains all the knowledge and learning related to the East and West Indies and navigations to those parts that was available at the end of the sixteenth century. It was held in such high esteem that for nearly a century a copy was given to each ship sailing to India' (Hill). Provenance: early manucript incription on the title of 'Hen. Ware'. Borba de Moraes I p. 488; Church 321; ESTC S111823; European Americana 598/57; Hill 1025; Sabin 41374.

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