This title page is centered on a beautifully rendered sailing ship in an elaborate strapwork cartouche that contains four views of major cities in the Dutch trading empire: Antwerp, Amsterdam, Middelburg, and Enkhuizen. Linschoten was an important Dutch explorer. The valuable sailing instructions that he managed to acquire from the secret Portuguese archives helped launch the Dutch trading empire in the East Indies. His travel writings, the famous Itinerario, published in three parts (Description de l’Amerique, Le Grande Route de Mer, and Histoire de la Navigation), was one of the most important early accounts of India, the Far East, Portuguese Africa, and the New World. This is from a Dutch edition with the publisher's imprint "Ghedruckt voor Everhardt Cloppenburch, Boeck-verkooper woonende op't Water / in den Vergulden Bijbel Anno 1644." On a full sheet measuring 7.7 x 12.3".

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Condition: B+

On watermarked paper with printer's ink residue and light foxing that is mostly confined to the margins. There is a light dampstain along the right edge of the sheet.