The extensive and authoritative work by Everhard van Reyd containing a comprehensive and detailed history of the first half (to 1601) of the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648) between the Netherlands and Spain. Jan Jansz at Arnhem first printed and published Van Reyds account in 1626, twenty-four years after the authors death but long before the War came to an end with the Peace of Münster in 1648, under the title, Voornaemste gheschiedenissen inde Nederlanden ende elders. Although the first edition, like the later ones covered events upto the year before the authors death, the present second edition, beginning the title differently, notes that it has been checked against the authors manuscript and adds some parts of that were omitted in the first edition, as well as correcting printers errors. It is therefore the first edition with Van Reyds complete text and the first edition in folio format. The similar 1644 edition has some additions to the year of publication (obviously not by Van Reyd) and Van Reyds nephews Johan and Frederik van der Sande prepared a new edition, published in 1650 (after Johan died), under the title Historie der Nederlandtscher oorlogen begin ende voortganck tot den jare 1601, but including a second volume with Johans continuation, Nederlandtsche historie, ..., tot ... 1641.
With minor water stains in a few leaves (at the fore-edge of the preliminaries and the head of the index, that on one leaf somewhat more prominent and running across the lower outside corner of the text). The vellum tapes have broken at the joint of the back board, so that the binding has separated from the bookblock there (but the paste-down and free endleaf remain conjugate), and the binding shows a few smudges and stains and a small (1 cm) defect on the back board, ties lost. Although the gilding is lost in a few places (especially on the spine and parts of the outer frame on the boards), sometimes with the impression smoothed away, most of the tooling remains very good condition, giving several crisp and clear gold-tooled impressions of each stamp and roll. In good condition overall. Haitsma Mulier & Van der Lem 396a; STCN 83138624X; cf. De Buck 2299 (other ed.); for the author: Biografisch woordenboek Gelderland, vol. 10 (2014), pp. 133-137.