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Important 18th-century Dutch encyclopedia, used in Japan as a 'Rangaku book'

BUYS, Egbert.
Nieuw en volkomen woordenboek van konsten en weetenschappen: bevattende alle de takken der nuttige kennis, met naaukeurige beschryvingen, zo van de onderscheidenen machines, werktuigen, gereedschappen, figuuren, en ontwerpen dienende om dezelve op te helderen; als mede van de klassen, soorten, toebereidselen, en het gebruik van de voortbrengzels der natuur, het zy dieren, planten, mineraalen, aardgewassen, of vochten; mitsgaders de koningkryken, provintien, steden, dorpen, en andere merkwaardige plaatzen dor de geheele waereld.

Engraved frontispiece to the first vol., 282 engraved full-page plates and some tabels.

Amsterdam, Steven Jacobus Baalde, 1769 -1778. 10 vols. 8vo. Original half calf over marbled boards. Engraved frontispiece to the first vol., 282 engraved full-page plates and some tabels. Ca. 8000p.

Original and only edition of this rare, interesting and lavishly illustrated 'encyclopedia' by the colourful but enigmatic Linguist and author of 'spectatorial' collections of edifying treatises. Egbert Buys (ca. 1725 - 1769; but probably ca. 1775) started his career as the author of Den Algemeene spectator (Amsterdam, J, Haffmann,1749). After having been accused of maltreatment of his wife and having caused several scandals, he left for England where he stayed for more than five years. Returned in Amsterdam he published a much enlarged re-edition of the famous English-Dutch dictionary of Sewel in 1766. He continued his linguistic work with the publication of a New and complete dictionary of terms of art; Nieuw en volkomen konstwoordenboek in 2 vols. (Amsterdam, 1768), followed in the next year by the first volume of our encyclopedia, which was to be completed with the 10th vol. in 1778. Apart from its importance as a typical 18th-century encyclopedia in the spirit of Diderot's Encyclopedie, the work is still valued for its lexicographical and linguistic contents (see f.e. the Bronnenlijst (list of sources) of the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal (WNT, 1943)).

In Japan the encyclopedia became also one of the most used Rangaku books. Artists as Shiba Kôkan (1741-1818) and Aôdô Denzen made engravings which were inspired by the plates of Buys's work.

The plates are divided as follows: vol. 1 (A; 704 pp.), plates 1-25; vol. 2 (B-C; 908 pp.), plates 26-58; vol. 3 (D-E; 820 pp.), plates 59-75; vol. 4 (F-G; 726 pp.), plates 76-99; vol. 5 (H-I; 681 pp.), plates 100-125; vol. 6 (K-L;, 844 pp.), plates 126-143; vol. 7 (M-N; 798 pp.) plates 164-185; vol. 8 (O-Q; 979 pp), plates 186-220; vol. 9 (R-S; 845 pp.), plates 221-249; vol. 10 (T-Z; 1044 pp.), plates 250-282.

Very fine untrimmed set. - (Volume 10 with some faint waterstaining in a few of the plates, some plates loosely inserted).

A.A. van Rijnbach, 'Een onbekende spectator en zijn samensteller, Egbert Buys', in: Het Boek, 30 (1949-50), p. 75-87.

Related Subjects: 18th Century Dutch Encyclopædic Works Rangaku

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