Cornelisz Hooft - Neederlandsche Histoorien - 1642

In the Labyrinths of Freedom: The Netherlands Between Empire, Revolt, and Civil Martyrdom
Elzevir edition of great value: a superb original folio binding. Frontispiece engraved by Theodore Matham after a drawing by Joachim von Sandrart, finely hand-coloured. COLLECTOR'S COPY
The Nederlandsche Historiën by Pieter Cornelisz Hooft constitute one of the highest historical syntheses of the Dutch Golden Age, capable of transforming the political saga of the Netherlands into a narrative with a classical scope. From the abdication of Charles V in 1555 to the death of William the Silent in 1584, Hooft builds a civil history founded on the balance between documentary rigor, humanist style, and moral tension. This first edition of 1642, enriched by an iconographic apparatus of exceptional quality, represents one of the peaks of Dutch historiography and a cultural manifesto of the young Republic.
Market value
The complete copies of the first edition from 1642, especially when they preserve both the engraved title page and the author’s portrait, a rarely present element, reach on the international market indicative values ranging between €1,000 and €2,000. Copies like this, particularly fresh, with wide margins, and with documented historical provenance, can exceed these thresholds, ranking among the most sought-after Dutch historical books of the seventeenth century.

Physical description and condition - collector's copy
Splendid contemporary parchment binding on wooden boards, folio, boards decorated blind, spine with raised bands. Provenance: E. Van Havre (ex libris with heraldic bookplate and blind stamp). Frontispiece engraved by Theodore Matham from a design by Joachim von Sandrart, finely hand-watercolored; portrait engraved by Reinier van Persyn from a design by Joachim von Sandrart, rarely present and of great collectible importance, initials rubricated in red and blue, numerous large woodcut initials. Some foxing. In old books, with a multiyear history, there may be some imperfections not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 16 pp; 900; 28 pp; (2).

Full title and author
Dutch histories.
Amsterdam, by Louys Elzevier, 1642.
Pieter Cornelisz Hooft.

Context and Significance
This work represents the most successful attempt to give the Netherlands a “classical” history, modeled on Latin historians but deeply rooted in the recent experience of the revolt against the Spanish monarchy. Hooft does not write a simple chronicle of events, but a moral and political history, in which the struggle for religious and civil liberty becomes the foundational identity of the Dutch nation. The period treated, from the departure of Charles V to the violent death of William the Silent, is presented as a historical tragedy in which the collective fate emerges from the weave of individual decisions, dynastic ambitions, and confessional conflicts. From an editorial point of view, it is now generally accepted that the volume, though bearing the Elzevier imprint, was actually printed by Joan Blaeu, bound by family ties to the author, a circumstance that adds a further level of historical and typographical interest.

Biography of the Author
Pieter Cornelisz Hooft (1581–1647) was a poet, playwright, and historian, a central figure of the so-called Dutch Renaissance. Educated in a humanist milieu and deeply influenced by classical historians, he was for many years the bailiff of Muiden and the driving force behind the famous literary circle at the Muiderslot. The Nederlandsche Historiën represent his greatest historical work and the high point of his reflection on politics, on freedom, and on the moral responsibility of rulers.

Printing history and circulation
The first edition of 1642 marks the official entry of the work into the European cultural landscape. Despite the Elzevier imprint, the printing is today attributed with good probability to the workshop of Joan Blaeu, one of the most prestigious in Amsterdam. The work enjoyed a significant but selective circulation, aimed at an educated and politically aware audience, and was reprinted several times during the seventeenth century. Complete copies of the iconographic apparatus, such as the present one, remain rare.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Leendertz, 123.
Rahir, 976.
Willems, 986.
Berghman, 1831.
STCN (Short-Title Catalogue, Netherlands).
ICCU / OPAC SBN: work cataloged in European historical libraries.