Description de touts les Pays-Bas, autrement appellez la Germanie Inferieure ou Basse Allemagne.

Folio: [8 incl. engr. front.]-454-[10] pp.; 95 (of 96) pls (missing pl. 73, sl. dampstained in upper margin, some pages sl. browned, marg. tear on pl. 72, marg. spots).

Modern three-quarter vellum binding, coloured paper covers.

French translation by François de Belleforest (1530-1583) of the Janssonius' edition, offering the reader an eloquent description of the 16th-c. towns in the Low Countries by the Italian resident and author Guicciardini (1521-1589). With engr. title and 95 engr. ills reprinted from Blaeu's Latin edition (Amst., Janssonius, 1613). 12 maps and 83 city plans & views of Leuven, Lier, Mechelen, Ghent, Bruges, Ypres, Tienen...), the Netherlands and Northern France (Lille, Douai, Tournai, Artois, Arras, Cambrai). According to the index bound in, the map of "Berghe de S.Winoc" (pl. 73) is lacking. As a matter of fact pl. 73 is a view of Dunkirk with Bergues in the background and is only present in a few copies (Touwaide lists 3 copies). The first edition in Italian dates from 1567. Ref. Guicciardini illustratus 18. - Tiele 428. - Touwaide 20. Prov. "Raymondus Beverdus", 1634 (ms. annotation).