LAET, Johannes de.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

L'Histoire du Nouveau Monde ou Description des Indes Occidentales, First edition in French of this finely produced compilation on the geography and natural history of the Americas, expanded from the previous Dutch and Latin editions. The maps feature early depictions of Canada, show California as a peninsula instead of an island, and include the first appearance of the names "Manhattan", "New Amsterdam" (now New York City), and "Massachusetts".As one of the 19 lord directors of the Dutch West India Company, Johannes de Laet (1581-1649) had access to the latest information about America from returning traders. The first edition of his History of the New World was published in Dutch in 1625 as Nieuwe Wereldt ofte Beschrijvinghe van West-Indien, and progressively expanded in the second Dutch edition of 1630, the Latin of 1633, and the present French edition.The text combines observations on natural history and geography with notes on the character and customs of the Native Americans. De Laet drew information from the archives of the Dutch West India Company, his personal correspondence, and the best published accounts, including those by Herrera, Zarate, Acosta, Peter Martyr, and Ramusio. The new material in this French edition includes vocabularies of Native American tribes, a commentary of Bahia, and the conquest of Olinda, Itamaraca, Parahiba, and Rio Grande do Norte. The edition also corrected and updated the botanical information.The 14 maps show the American continent, Cub

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