Bidspirit auction | Olfert Dapper – A Study

Olfert Dapper – A Study on Syria and the Land of Israel – Germany, 1681 – Engravings and Maps Naukeurige Beschryving van Gantsch Syrie, en Palestyn of Heilige Lant, by Olfert Dapper. Germany, published by Jacob Van Meurs, [1681 Dutch. Two parts in one volume. A comprehensive geographical and ethnographic study on Syria and the Land of Israel, including a title page engraving, small engravings integrated into the body of the text, and 39 engraving plates, most of them double or folded, including: maps and engravings showing landscapes and sites in Syria, including Damascus and Tripoli; maps of the Land of Israel, with the boundaries of the tribal estates; maps and illustrations of Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, and Bethlehem (including a folded panorama of Jerusalem); a description of Jaffa as seen from the sea, and more. The author, Olpert Duffer (1639–1689), was a Dutch writer, historian, and geographer. Duffer never left the Low Countries, and his numerous writings, which deal, among other things, with the geography and anthropology of diverse regions on Earth, are based on ancient sources, reports and studies that he studied carefully, and the writings of travelers and explorers of his time.