Popular Dutch almanac for the year 1788 in a remarkable contemporary Dutch East India Company (VOC) binding. The work was bound by the so-called Acorn-and-Foliage Tool Bindery (Storm van Leeuwen) and shows the large monogram of the Amsterdam Chamber of the VOC sandwiched between the date "Anno 1788" on both boards. As noted by Storm van Leeuwen, in the 18th-century this VOC A stamp "... was apparently used on almanacs that were given as gifts to persons important to the VOC. Examples form the Acorn-and-Foliage Tool Bindery ... are known, containing almanacs from 1777 and 1784." (p. 175). We are certain that the present binding is by this Acorn-and-Foliage Tool Bindery, as it is practically identical to their 1777 VOC A binding (see Storm van Leeuwen I, p. 614, no. 200). Interestingly, this means that the present binding is the latest Acorn-and-Foliage Tool Bindery now known; Storm van Leeuwen noted that the bindery was active between c. 1760 and c. 1784 but it clearly continued for a few years after.
The present almanac was compiled by Meyndert Dirksz. van Dam (1730-1812), a Dutch mathematician and astronomer who calculated the tides and phases of the sun and moon for almanacs, who is mainly known for his contribution to more than 230 editions of almanacs since 1774. Van Dam did not only contribute to "comptoir" almanacs for the VOC and similar organisations, he was also directly linked to the VOC as an examiner (of helmsmen etc.) for the Hoorn Chamber of the VOC.
This copy is interleaved with 24 blank leaves (2 leaves between the facing pages of each month) including 12 containing several 19th-century manuscript annotations in black or red ink (a few are crossed out in red ink). These inscriptions detail the birthdays and other personal information, presumably, of relatives and acquaintances of an unidentified owner. Thus, it was more a birthday calendar and notebook than an almanac for one specific year, meaning that the owner(s) could make use of the work in its remarkable binding for years to come. Most of the inscriptions seem to refer to dates of birthdays etc., but only a few include a clear mention of a year; one is "10 juni 1859" and the other is "23 januari - 30 augustus } 1891". This suggests that the 1788 almanac was most heavily used during the second half of the 19th century.
With 19th-century annotations on the interleaved blank leaves and on the recto of the first free flyleaf ( "Verjaardagen etc."). The binding is somewhat rubbed and the hinges show signs of wear, without affecting the integrity of the binding. Internally only very slightly browned along the edges of the margins. Otherwise in very good condition. Landwehr/Van der Krogt, VOC, pp. XXVII-XXVIII; STCN 292197853 (2 copies); Storm van Leeuwen I, pp. 174-176 (for the almanac) and p. 196 (VOC A stamp) and pp. 612-616 (the bindery).