First edition of this Dutch-Malay and Malay-Dutch dictionary, with linguistic commentary on the Malay language by editor Dr. Willem van Rees. It was one of the first guides to the Malay language available in the Netherlands. According to the preface, the work is meant for travellers, but it would also have been useful to merchants trading in the Dutch East-Indies, as it offers translations for many plants and spices. In the back, the work also contains a short grammar and a list with important sentences.
Rees makes some references in his preface to Sumatra, Java, Timor, Borneo, Celebes and the Moluccas, also commenting on two 18th-century Malay language studies by preacher Lodewijk Dominicus (in Batavia 1751-1781) and theologian George Werndlij (ca. 1693-1744). The publisher Moelman has included a dedication to "Den Raad der Asiatische Bezittingen en Etablissementen van de Bataafsche Republiek" ("The Council of the Asiatic possessions of the Batavian Republic"). The present copy has very likey been used in the Dutch East Indies, as Deli, written on the recto of the first blank flyleaf, was a sultanate on Sumatra, which became independent from nearby sultanates in 1861 after Dutch intervention.
With two owner's inscriptions in the same hand on the recto of the first blank flyleaf ("Deli" and "Bulaeus Brack") and one on the verso of the final free flyleaf ("Dalembang"). The corners of the boards are scuffed and the front joint has cracked, but the boards are still attached, with some loss of leather at the head of the spine. Otherwise in very good condition. WorldCat 993876424, 503916105 (4 copies).