“By far the most important of the early authorities on the northern Whalefishery” (Allen)

Cornelius Gijsbertz Zorgdrager (1650-?); Abraham Moubach (1702-1737).

Bloeyende opkomst der aloude en hedendaagsche Groenlandsche visschery [...]. Met byvoeging van de walvischvangst, in haare hoedanigheden, behandelingen, 't scheepsleeven en gedrag beschouwt.

Amsterdam, Johannes van Oosterwyk, 1720.

4°. [37], 330, [14] pp. With an engraved frontispiece, 6 folding engraved maps, 6 full-page engraved plates and 1 folding engraved plate = complete incl. errata.

Contemporary vellum

First edition of arguably the most esteemed early modern account of whaling in the Arctic and an essential resource for any study of the whaling trade. During the quest for a northeast passage, the Dutch established a virtual monopoly on whaling in the northern polar region. The author, a captain of a whaling ship that set sail in 1690 for the Greenland Sea, provides a precise narrative of his expedition and encounters with whales, which later inspired Herman Melville's "Moby Dick". The text was enlarged by Abraham Moubach. This edition is complemented by splendid folding maps of the North Pole, Greenland, Iceland, Spitsbergen, Jan Mayen, and Nova Zembla, along with images depicting various whales, walruses, and scenes of the whale hunt and its perils. Additionally, it includes comprehensive details covering natural history, geography, economics, statistical tables concerning vessels and returns, as well as rosters featuring the names of directors and captains involved in the Greenland whale fisheries of the main European ports.

Condition: binding slightly loosening but not damaged. Faded stain in leaves G-G4 and O-O4. Otherwise in very good condition.

Reference: Allen 177; Nissen ZBI 4509; Sabin 106374; STCN ID 201968800.