Lot 74. [VOC BINDING]. URSINUS, Zacharius & PAREUS, David (editors).

A rare survival of a VOC binding from Middelburg. ‘The Zeeland chamber played second fiddle. It exported one book to every three of the Amsterdam chamber (…). However, books for the ship’s chest and for chaplains must have been provisioned chiefly by the Amsterdam chamber because very few Amsterdam VOC-M bindings have turned up. And those which have turned up almost all have been copies of Ursinus’ Schatboek. It is noteworthy that the letter M for Middelburg is used instead of Z for Zeeland. Normally the M is placed under the monogram, whereas the Amsterdam chamber put its initial on top of it’ (Landwehr).

2 parts in 1 volume, 4to., [12], 258; [4], 233, [5] leaves, engraved title; light water-staining, seventeenth century full calf binding, front cover with central “VOC M” [= Middelburg] stamp, joints cracked, spine extremities defective.

[Landwehr, VOC p.XXIX (ill.) and XXVII.]