An embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperour of China… by Johan Nieuhof. London: John Macock, 1669. First English edition.
In 1655, the Dutch explorer Johan Nieuhof (1618-1672) joined, as steward, two representatives of the Dutch East India Company (which managed the Dutch colonies in Asia and trade with Asia) on their journey to China to meet the Emperor. The first part of this book describes the journey in detail, and the second part is a general survey of China.
The book contains dozens of impressive engravings incorporated in the text that describe sites, landscapes, figures and various Chinese customs. The book also contains 20 engraved plates, including a portrait of John Ogilby (a representative of the Dutch East India Company), a title page, a map of China (double-spread engraving), and more.
This book, first printed in Dutch in 1665, was a reliable description of China, its residents and their customs in a period when China's image in European eyes was based mostly on illustrations and imagined descriptions. The book contributed greatly to deepening European knowledge about China. It was highly successful and was translated to many languages.
[2], 146 pp, [1] blank leaf, 149-184, 205-327, [1] (blank), 1-106 pp + [20] plates (apparently two plates are missing). 41 cm. Good condition. Stains. Tears to a number of leaves. On the first title page (engraving) is an owner's signature from 1669. Pen inscription on the second title page. Restored margins on blank pages at the beginning and end of the book, and on the last (printed) leaf. New binding and endpapers.