MONTANUS known as Arnold VAN BERGEN or VAN DEN BERG - Lot 9

MONTANUS known as Arnold VAN BERGEN or VAN DEN BERG Memorable Embassies from the East Indies of the United Provinces, to the Emperors of Japan. Containing several remarkable things that happened during the ambassadors' journey; and moreover, descriptions of the cities, towns, castles, fortresses, temples and other buildings: animals, plants, mountains, rivers, fountains; the manners, customs, religions and habits of the Japanese; as well as their feats of war and the revolutions, both ancient and modern, that these peoples have undergone. Le tout enrichi de figures dessinées sur les lieux, et tiré des mémoires des ambassadeurs de la compagnie. Amsterdam, Jacob de Meurs, 1680. Two parts in an in-folio volume of (3) ff, 227-(8) pp, 146-(6) pp; marbled calf, ornate ribbed spine, red morocco title-piece and spine with the numeral "PB" for "Pagerie Bonaparte". First French edition translated from the Flemish edition of 1669, from the sale of the Malmaison library (1829). Sale stamp. Illustrated with a frontispiece, an engraved folding map (route from Osaka to Tokyo, and route from Nagasaki to Osaka), 70 engraved figures in the text (city views, scenes, costumes) and 25 double or folding plates (including the plan of Batavia and panoramas of Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo and Kagoshima). (Folds to plates, a few tears, including a large one on page 198). This work is a comprehensive history of Japan, containing a wealth of information on the country's geography, religion, natural history, mores and customs.