SCHELTEMA, Jacobus.

Geschiedenis der Heksenprocessen, eene bijdrage tot den roem des vaderlands.Haarlem, Vincent Loosjes, 1828. 8vo. With engraved title-page with a portrait of Johannes Wier, half-title and eight divisional-titles. Contemporary stiff marbled wrappers with the original publisher's letterpress spine label.

      - (2), xvi, 312, 101, (6) pp. plus engr. title. NNBW II, col. 1274; for the owner Tydeman: NNBW II, cols. 1461-1463.First edition of a famous history of witch trials in the Netherlands and in the rest of Europe, from the events preceding the trials in the second half of the sixteenth century to 1610. Scheltema (1767-1835) gives pride of place to Johannes Wier or Johan Weyer (1515-1588), an early Protestant opponent of witch trials, born in Brabant, whose portrait appears on the title-page (engraved by J.C. Bendorp after P. Holsteyn). After a sixteen-page introduction by the author follow five chapters, sixty-two pages of notes, and appendices with original texts or Dutch translations of primary documents. Scheltema combined a successful career as a government official with extensive historical research on numerous topics and produced a great number of historical works and reports, the present being the best-known. On the last leaf of the last quire the author's name and the title were printed twice as spine labels, one of which has been cut out and pasted on the spine, as intended. With the inscription of "H. W. Tydeman", no doubt Scheltema's contemporary Hendrik Willem Tydeman (1778-1868), author of jurisprudential, historical, economical and theological publications. With very minor foxing in a few leaves, but generally a fine copy and untrimmed, with one bolt unopened. With the sewing somewhat loose and the spine tattered. A detailed account of witch trials and their opposition.