First edition of a richly illustrated description of Amsterdam and its history, with 58 clear and detailed plates of buildings, bridges, and professions. The work also includes excellent factual descriptions of the most important buildings of Amsterdam, as well as the streets and embankments. As the author was a Lutheran, he was particularly interested in the Lutheran community, making the work a particularly important source for this aspect of the history of Amsterdam.
Philipp Von Zesen (1619-1689), was a German poet who moved to Amsterdam in 1661. As a newcomer, he wanted to learn more about the history and the expansion of the town. In the present work he describes everything the city had to offer at his own time, such as the famous buildings, churches, gates and bridges, the shipping, the stock- and commodity markets, the VOC and WIC (the East and West India Companies), the bridges, like the "Nieuwe Brugh" and the "Amstel Brugh", the city gates, but also the amusements, like the theatres and the labyrinth. Although the work was written in German, it was issued twice in Amsterdam in 1664, by both Joachim Noschen and Markus Doornik. The present issue by Doornik is a textual reprint of the Noschen issue, but in a smaller size and with different plates. These plates, including the frontispiece, had also been used in Beschrijvinge der wijdt-vermaarde koop-stadt Amstelredam by Melchior Fokkens, which was printed by Doornik in 1662 and 1664. The smaller size of the present issue made it more suitable for travelling.
With a torn paper shelf mark label on the spine, and a contemporary ownership annotation on the first fly leaf ("Eberhardt Rudolphe de Hillern"). The vellum is somewhat soiled. The work is somewhat browned throughout, with some leaves affected more than others, small stains on some of the plates. Otherwise in good condition. Nijhoff & V. Hattum 350; STCN 843482753 (7 copies); USTC 1801656 (10 copies); VD17 23:311771N (4 copies).