WIJK ROELANDSZ., Jacobus van.

Korte Schets der Nederlandsche Ontdekkingen.Groningen, Jan Oomkens Jansz., 1842. Small 8vo. With a folding chronological table of 34 sites discovered by Dutch voyagers in the years 1445 to 1835. Original publisher’s pink silk over boards, letterpress printed on the front and back, blue-coated endpapers, gilt edges.

      - 36, (1) pp. Sabin 72588 (without location); NCC (3 copies); Karlsruher Virt. Kat. (1 copy); NNBW III, p. 1502; not in Church; Eberstadt; Streeter; OCLC WorldCat. A lovely little book, bound in letterpress-printed pink silk, on the Dutch discoveries in America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the East Indies, the Arctic and even the Antarctic. After a brief account of Joshua van der Berg’s 1445 (actually 1432) discovery of the Azores, the book recounts the discoveries in four sections: the Arctic, the South Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Antarctic. This last covers Dirck Gerritszoon’s still disputed possible sighting of the South Shetland Islands in 1598. The table at the end lists the principal sites with the name of the explorer, date, longitude and latitude. The author’s preliminary note provides unusually detailed information about the origins of the book, and the printed advertisement on the back cover gives a list of the author’s school maps: seven already published by Oomkens and three more in press (with prices and references to reviews in seven newspapers and magazines in 1841 and 1842).Van Wijk (1781-1847) began work as a school teacher and author of school books in 1802, and is best known for his 11-volume geographic dictionary (1821-1835). When Jan Oomkens (1809/10-1872), the third bookseller, printer and publisher of that name, completed his studies studied at Van Wijk’s Kampen institute, he extracted a promise, made half in jest, that Van Wijk would edit or write Oomkens’ first publication. The result was a series of school maps Van Wijk produced with the aid of his colleague R. van de Weerd and the lithographer C. F. J. Jaeger, and the present book. The excellent laid paper used for the text, table and endpapers must have been made to the publisher’s order, for it is watermarked: J Oomkens = horn on a crowned shield above initials JO. We have located only four other copies of this book, and it is not clear whether any other is preserved in a pink silk binding.In fine condition, with the paper fresh and crisp. The silk is frayed along the front hinge and at the corners, but the binding is still in very good condition. A rare and lovely little book, with valuable information on Oomkens’ rare school maps.