Laet, Johannes de

L'Histoire du nouveau monde ou description des Indes occidentales. Leiden: Chez Bonaventure & Abraham Elzevir, 1640 



Folio (13 3/4 x 8 3/4 in.; 349 x 222 mm). Title printed in red and black with woodcut printer's vignette, 14 double-page engraved maps, over 60 woodcut illustrations in text; a few leaves lightly spotted, some marginal spotting, last leaf of index strengthened on stub and repaired touching a few letters, this copy without the 2-leaf dedication to Richelieu. Contemporary mottled calf with blind-ruled frame, gilt-stamped title and imprint applied later with owner's name; endpapers renewed, upper joint cracked, a few stains.

Pr[ince] Vlad Odoevsky  (possibly Vladimir Fyodorovich Odoevsky, 1803–1869, signature on title) — M.J. Yrarrazaval (gold-stamped on spine)

Alden-Landis 640/111; Borba de Moraes I:451; Burden 215, 229–232; Sabin 38558; Willems 497

L'Histoire du nouveau monde ou description des Indes occidentales. Leiden: Chez Bonaventure & Abraham Elzevir, 1640 Folio (13 3/4 x 8 3/4 in.; 349 x 222 mm). Title printed in red and black with woodcut printer's vignette, 14 double-page engraved maps, over 60 woodcut illustrations in text; a few leaves lightly spotted, some marginal spotting, last leaf of index strengthened on stub and repaired touching a few letters, this copy without the 2-leaf dedication to Richelieu. Contemporary mottled calf with blind-ruled frame, gilt-stamped title and imprint applied later with owner's name; endpapers renewed, upper joint cracked, a few stains.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

First edition in French. First published in 1625, the author maintained the currency of subsequent editions by adding events as they occurred, making this the most complete edition. This edition records the sacking of Bahia, the conquest of Olinda, Itamaraca, Parahiba, and Rio Grande do Norte. There is also a contemporary marginal note in English (p. 259) disputing a claim made in the text on the capture of Truxillo in Honduras.

The work was used as an atlas during the second half of the seventeenth century and is recognized for the accuracy of its maps because Laet had access to the latest geographic data as a director of the Dutch West India Company. Burden points out the new, more open style of engraving which was adopted by Blaeu and Jansson.