Warhafftige Relation. Willem Barentsz' Voyages to Cathay and China

Willem Barentsz (1550–97) was a Dutch cartographer and sailor who explored the Northeast Passage
Gerrit de Veer (ca. 1570 – ca. 1598) was one of the junior officers on Barentsz’s second and third voyages
De Veer’s account is the only detailed description of the third expedition and describes events day to day

Warhafftige Relation. Willem Barentsz' Voyages to Cathay and China

72-0596 Deutsches Schifffahrtmuseum Bremerhaven (Bremerhaven, Germany)

Description

Warhafftige Relation. Willem Barentsz' Voyages to Cathay and China

Among the countless tales of the exciting adventures and incredible hardships experienced by European explorers during the 16th century, Gerrit de Veer’s account of the Dutch expeditions led by Willem Barents to find the Northeast Passage, a shortcut to Asia, is among the most incredible. After the first two expeditions in 1594 and 1595 failed, the third attempt in 1596 reached the archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, where the ice trapped their ship and barred the way to Asia. There the crew had to spend a frigid winter among the grinding ice and polar bears before the survivors’ celebrated return to Amsterdam in the autumn of 1597. Already published in 1598 in Amsterdam, the account is illustrated by numerous engravings including a vignette on the title page depicting a Dutch sailor and a Sami flanking their ship stuck in the ice as well as a man shooting a bear who is mauling another man. It was an instant best seller that was translated into German by Levinus Hulsius and published in Nuremberg in the same year.

Codicology

Alternative Titles: Warhafftige Relation. Willem Barentsz' Schiffsreisen nach Cathay und China
A true description of three voyages by the North-east towards Cathay and China : undertaken by the Dutch in the years 1594, 1595, and 1596
Warhafftige Relation. Der dreyen newen unerhörten seltzamen Schiffahrt Anno 1594, 1595 und 1596 vorhabens ins Königreich Cathay und China zukommen
Type: Print on paper
Size / Format: 146 pages / 19.8 × 16.0 cm
Origin: Germany
Date: 1598
Epochs: Late Middle Ages Onwards
Style: Renaissance
Genre: Travelogues / Travel Guides
Diaries / Biographies / Autograph Books
Language: German
Illustrations: Numerous illustrations
Content: Diary of sailor Gerrit de Veer about his sea voyages with Willem Barentsz
Artist / School: Gerrit de Veer (author)
Levinus Hulsius (publisher and translator)

Available facsimile editions:

Facsimile Editions

#1 Warhafftige Relation. Der dreyen newen unerhörten seltzamen Schiffahrt Anno 1594, 1595 und 1596 vorhabens ins Königreich Cathay und China zukommen

Oceanum Verlag – Bremerhaven, 2010

Publisher: Oceanum Verlag – Bremerhaven, 2010

Limited Edition: 400 copies

Complete color reproduction of the original “Warhafftige Relation. Willem Barentsz' Voyages to Cathay and China” at its original size. The facsimile aims to reproduce the original’s appearance, feel and physical characteristics as faithfully as possible. The pages are trimmed to the original format. The binding may differ from the original’s present-day binding.

Facsimile Copy Available!

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(1,000€ - 3,000€)

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Warhafftige Relation. Willem Barentsz' Voyages to Cathay and China