Het vergaan van het Nederlandsch fregatschip Aerd van Nes
Year: 1855
Edition: First edition
Publisher: Amsterdam; Gebroeders Kraay
Category: Australia & Pacific
Sewn in original publisher's printed wrappers. Exceedingly rare.
Spine mostly gone, the upper side of the wrapper reattached, some soiling and spotting but overall a clean copy, pp. viii, 91.
The 17th April, 1854 the `Aerd van Nes`, a 582 tons vessel which was built in Amsterdam 15 years earlier, was on its return voyage from Sydney when she was lost at the Great Detached Reef with a crew of 24 aboard.
The author describes their journey through Torres Strait, how they survived in their sloops once their ship was lost; the things they ate, like raw meat and fish and turtles, the dangers they faced, their encounters with natives of several islands, etc., etc. and how they finally reached Ternate in the Dutch East Indies (nowadays Indonesia) on October 11th 1854, almost half a year after their ship was wrecked.
An extremely rare piece of Australiana. No auction records in ABPC or RBH.
Copies in the National Library of Australia, State Library of NSW (Mitchell Library), State Library of Queensland, Library of the University of Sydney and the R.G. Menzies Library of the Australian National University.
Only another seven copies of this first edition in institutional libraries worldwide.
Not in Ferguson. Tiele 233.
Click on a picture to enlarge.
