Adam Olearius | Persiaensche Reyse, uyt Holsteyn, door Lijflandt, Moscovien, Tartaria in Persia, 4to, 1651

Adam Olearius

Persiaensche Reyse, uyt Holsteyn, door Lijflandt, Moscovien, Tartaria in Persia. Amsterdam: Jan. Jansz., 1651

4to (197 x 148mm.), Dutch edition, Gothic type, two works in one, separate pagination, engraved title page, secondary title page, 4 (out of 5) engraved plates, some folding, some double page, engravings within text, bookplate and library stamp of C. Narischkine, later vellum, label to spine, engraved title page detached, lacking map of Russia, light soiling to covers

This remarkable account, the quarto edition in Dutch, was published alongside an octavo in the same year. The work informed Germany, the Netherlands, and indeed the rest of Europe on the intricacies of Persian culture and literature, with vivid illustrations including foldout maps of Holsatia, Livonia, Russia, Tartaria and Central Asia, of which the Russian example is lacking in the present volume.

The work was published following the diplomatic mission of Adam Olearius (1599-1671), a German ambassador of Frederick III, who went to Russia and Persia, thereby being received by Tsar Michael of Russia and the Safavid King, Shah Safi.