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Laet, Johannes de (1581-1649) Historie Ofte Iaerlijck Verhael Van de Verrichtinghen der Geoctroyeerde West-Indische Compagnie.
Leiden: Bonaventuer ende Abraham Elsevier, 1644.
First and only edition, folio; woodcut printer's device to title, title page printed in red and black, illustrated with thirteen double page maps and views of Dutch colonies in the Americas; bound in full contemporary Dutch parchment over boards, tooled and ruled in blind, cloth ties renewed, slight worming trail to five first leaves; 12 1/2 x 8 in.
De Laet was the director of the Dutch West India Company, in addition to being a knowledgeable geographer in his own right. His history of the WIC has been described as one of finest descriptions of the Americas written and printed during the 17th century. The present work tells many stories of adventure carried out by the WIC in the first third of the 17th century, including a detailed account of Jan Janszoon van Hoorn's 1633 privateering expedition commissioned by WIC to steal silver from the Spanish, which resulted in the sacking of Campeche, Mexico and the burning of Trujillo, Honduras. This series of exploits by the Dutch were a great blow to the hitherto extant Spanish domination of the Caribbean. Also of note, two Maya pilots living under Spanish colonial rule are said to have willingly participated in the catastrophic sacking of Campeche in direct opposition to their Spanish occupiers.
