De nieuwe en onbekende weereld: of Beschryving van America en't Zuid-land. / By Arnoldus Montanus. Amsterdam: J. Meurs, 1671. pp. 577-585.
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Full transcription of the title-page
De Nieuwe en Onbekende Weereld: Of Beschryving van America en ’t Zuid-land,
Vervatende d’Oorsprong der Americaenen en Zuid-landers, gedenkwaerdige togten derwaerds,
Gelegendheid Der vaste Kusten, Eilanden, Steden, Sterkten, Dorpen, Tempels, Bergen, Fonteinen, Stroomen, Huisen, de natuur van Beesten, Boomen, Planten en vreemde Gewasschen, Gods-dienst en Zeden, Wonderlijke Voorvallen, Vereeuwde en Nieuwe Oorlogen:
Verciert met Af-beeldsels na ’t leven in America gemaekt, en beschreeven door Arnoldus Montanus.
[Drukkersmerk]
t’Amsterdam, By Jacob Meurs Boek-verkooper en Plaet-snyder, op de Kaisars-graft, schuin over de Wester-markt, in de stad Meurs. Anno 1671. Met privilegie.
Translation of the title-page
The New and Unknown World: or Description of America and the Southland,
Containing the Origin of the Americans and South-landers, remarkable voyages thither,
Quality of the Shores, Islands, Cities, Fortresses, Towns, Temples, Mountains, Sources, Rivers, Houses, the nature of Beasts, Trees, Plants and foreign Crops, Religion and Manners, Miraculous Occurrences, Old and New Wars:
Adorned with Illustrations drawn from the life in America, and described by Arnoldus Montanus.
[Printer’s device, representing Prudence (a woman with two faces, with one of which she is looking in a mirror, while she is holding a bundle of snakes) trampling on Envy (a man lying face down on the earth, snakes for hair); in the background two ships on a rough sea; buildings on the shore of a calm sea; with motto “Invidiæ Prudentia Victrix” [Prudence is the Victress of Envy]; frame decorated with the head of Envy in four corners]
In Amsterdam, [Sold] by Jacob Meurs Bookseller and Engraver, on the Kaisars-graft, nearly opposite the Wester-markt, in the town Meurs.Anno 1671. With Privilege.
STCN-record
Arnoldus Montanus
De nieuwe en onbekende weereld: of Beschryving van America en 't Zuid-land. / By Arnoldus Montanus. Amsterdam, J. Meurs, 1671.
2°: *4 A-4F4 4G6
Fingerprint: 167102 - a1=a2 *3 de - b1 A s : b2 4G4 derzoek$
Typographical information: typographical title-page, engraved title-page, title-page in different colours, printer's device, type-face Roman, illustrations on title-page, illustrations within collation, illustrations outside collation
Copies: Koninklijke Bibliotheek 185 B 14; Amsterdam University Library 539 A 18; Leiden University Library 368 A 10; Leiden University Library 1217 A 1 (lacks engr. tp. and ills.); Utrecht University Library THO:WRT 101-389; British Library 984.h.13; British Library 147.h.4
Composition
*1r: Engraved title-page
*1v: blank
*2r: Title-page
*2v: blank
Inserted illustration: Portrait of Johan Maurits, Prince of Nassau (verso blank)
*3r-*4r: Dedication to Johan Maurits, Prince of Nassau
*4v: Extract from the Privilege
A1r-4E1r (= p. 1-585): text (of which only p. 577-585 deal with Australia)
4E1v-4G6v (= p. 586-612): indexes
On this publication
The title-page of this voluminous publication suggests that the book deals equally with America and the Southland. However, only ten out of more than 600 pages regard to the Southland. These are the pages which have been digitized here, together with the preliminaries. And except for the first two pages, the text is not a description of this continent, but a short account of the voyage by Abel Tasman in 1642-1643. In fact it was the first account of his voyage that appeared in print. No doubt the Dutch East-India Company had prevented any publication, fearing that their English rivals might learn too much out of it. This text is probably an adaptation by Arnoldus Montanus of an independent record of the voyage by Henrik Haelbos, who was on board as a ‘wound-healer’. Very little is known about him.
Arnoldus Montanus (1625-1683) was a minister and headmaster of the Latin School in the small town of Schoonhoven. He published a great number of books on church history and theology, on the history of the Low Countries, and on the geography and history of far-away countries, their peoples and cultures. Although he himself never visited America nor Australia, De Nieuwe en Onbekende Weereld is his most famous book, and has been a standard work on the New World for a long time.
The Amsterdam bookseller and engraver Jacob van Meurs was active from 1651 to 1680. This voluminous folio-edition fits very well in his stock, that concentrated on history, geography and travelogues. The STCN holds 59 records with his name in the imprint. Almost 50% (27 editions) are large folio-books and all of these are illustrated. Regrettably all the illustrations in this book relate to America, and none of them to Australia. Their quality may be judged, however, by the engraved title-page and the portrait of Joan Maurits.
Publisher Jacob Meurs dedicated this book to Johan (or Joan) Maurits, count of Nassau Siegen and gave his portrait a prominent place in the preliminaries. Johan Maurits (1604-1679) was a cousin of the Dutch Stadtholders Maurits and Frederik Hendrik. In 1637 the Dutch West India Company sent him to South America, where he became Governor-General of the Dutch territories in Brazil. He succeeded in defending these colonies against the Spanish and Portuguese, but above all he was an enlightened aristocrat with a keen interest in the Brazilian people and their culture. On his return in 1644 he was nicknamed Maurits the Brazilian, and it is very understandable that Jacob Meurs considered him the best patron of this prestigious book on America. Publishers could try to limit the risk of piracy through protection by way of a privilege but also by ensuring the support of a patron or of the authorities, in return for the dedication of the book to the person or authority in question. These dedications became quite common, especially for expensive books, and also gave a high standing to the publication.
The only legal protection of copyright offered in the Republic, was by privilege. Up until the mid-seventeenth century the States-General were the major issuing body of privileges. Then Holland, the province in which most publishers were established, gradually took over the position of the States-General. The duration of the privilege was set at fifteen years and the fine at 300 guilders. On 28 July 1670 the States of Holland and West-Friesland granted a privilege to Jacob Meurs to print and sell this book.
Translations
- Andrew Sharp, The voyages of Abel Janszoon Tasman. Oxford 1968, pp. 40-53.
- A shortened English translation by John Ogilby of the text of Tasman’s voyage was published in: America, being the latest and most accurate description of the new world. London, 1671.
Acknowledgements
Digitized copy: Koninklijke Bibliotheek 185 B 14
The translation of Arnoldus Montanus, De nieuwe en onbekende weereld…, was mainly taken from Andrew Sharp, The Voyages of Abel Janszoon Tasman. Oxford, 1968, pp. 40-53. With the kind permission of the Oxford University Press.