Joost Hartgers
Joost Hartgers (also Joost Hartgersz, Joost Hartgerts, or Ioost Hartgers; active c. 1637–1655) was a Dutch bookseller and publisher of the 17th century in Amsterdam.
He is especially known for his publications of travel accounts, historical works, and maps, and played an important role in disseminating sources on Dutch colonial history, particularly in connection with the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC).[1]
Life
Only a few biographical details are known about Joost Hartgers. From 1637, he was active as a bookseller and publisher in Amsterdam, running a shop on the Dam, near the Stadhuis, at the corner of Kalverstraat.[2] His period of activity is estimated to have been roughly from 1637 to 1655.
Michael S. Durham mentions in his book New York that the earliest image of New Amsterdam, the future New York, is based on drawings by Joost Hartgers from 1625 to 1626, showing about 30 simple houses, a windmill, a fort called Fort Amsterdam, and some ships off the coast. The only reason for the existence of this colony was the trade in beaver pelts:[3]
Es zeigt etwa 30 einfache Häuser, eine Windmühle, eine Burg namens Fort Amsterdam und einige Schiffe vor der Küste. Der einzige Grund für die Existenz dieser Kolonie war der Handel mit Biberfellen, die in Holland zu den beliebten Pelzmützen verarbeitet wurden.
Works
Hartgers published a wide variety of printed works, including:
- Travel accounts and collections of voyages of discovery, particularly concerning the enterprises of the VOC.[4]
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(cf. catalogue.nla.gov.au - here with roughly translated English titles)
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- Historical texts, including editions of the Eikōn Basilikē and writings on the English Civil War.[5]
- Accounts of the shipwreck of the Batavia (1648), one of the most notable works in his publishing program.[6]
- Descriptions of African coastal regions, e.g., Beschrijvinghe van ’t koningkrijck Congo, met het aenpalende landt Angola (1650).[7]
- TABULA GEOGRAPHICA, IN QVA PARADISUS, NEC NON REGIONES, UR=bes, oppida, et loca describuntur; quorum in Genesi mentio fit: Auct. D.R.M. Mathes. Geographische beschryvinge des Paradijs, oft Lusthofs Heden, metgaders der Landen, steden en plaetsen, der welcker vermelt word int boeck der Scheppinge. T’Amsterdam by Ioost Hartgers.[8]
See also
- Oost-Indische voyagien (1648) - Joost Hartgers collection
- Sammlung von sechs und zwanzig Schifffahrten in verschiedene Länder - Levinus Hulsius collection
- Great and Small Voyages - Theodor de Bry
References
- ^ biblianeerlandica.be: Joost Hartgers, Koninklijke Bibliotheek der Niederlande.
- ^ Bureau du Mercure: entry “Hartgersz, Joost”
- ^ Michael S. Durham: New York. 2001, p. 20
- ^ National Library of Australia: Catalogue entry for Oost en West-Indische voyagien, 1648–1651
- ^ University Library Mainz: Digital Collection of Early Modern Prints – Eikōn Basilikē
- ^ Hartgersz, Joost (ed.): Ongeluckige voyagie, van ’t schip Batavia, nae Oost-Indien. Amsterdam 1648 (digitized copy)
- ^ Bureau du Mercure: Catalogue entry for Beschrijvinghe van ’t koningkrijck Congo
- ^ biblianeerlandica.be: Joost Hartgers