Francois Valentijn (1666-1727, Dordecht, Holland), the author of Oud en nieuw Oost-Indiën (Old and New East India), was employed by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He served as a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church in the East Indies and spent some 16 years there. After going back to Holland, he wrote this massive work, which was published in Amsterdam by Johannes van Braam.The rare set of 5 volumes remains one of the significant descriptions of nature and cultural history of large parts of the world including East and South East Asia. Included are accounts of Batavia, which was the headquarters of the Dutch VOC.
