Jan van der Heiden and Jan van der Heiden de Jonge. BESCHRYVING DER NIEUWLYKS UITGEVONDEN EN GEOCTROJEERDE SLANG-BRAND-SPUITEN, EN HAARE WYZE VAN BRAND-BLUSSEN, TEGENWOORDIG BINNEN AMSTERDAM IN GEBRUIK ZIJNDE... Amsterdam: printed for the heirs of Jan van der Heiden, 1735. Second edition (first pub. 1690). Half bound gilt-decorated calf over vellum, gilt-decorated spine with raised bands and gilt-titled label; endpapers with Van Gelder Zonen watermark. Large folio; +2 π2 A-N2 O1; [8], 50, [4]. (25) plates showing firefighting efforts and results, including (7) folding. With decorated initials, title page vignette, printed marginalia, and tail-piece. Text in Dutch. STCN 19127075X; Grässe 3/230-231 (1st ed.); Atlas van Stolk 2832.

19 13/16 x 12 1/8 in.

Private North Carolina Collection

Jan van der Heyden (Dutch, 1637-1712) was a successful Baroque artist and inventor best known for his paintings of towns, for establishing a much-needed new street lighting system in Amsterdam using oil-burning lamps, and for creating the first firefighting manual. Witnessing a major fire in Amsterdam as a young man likely had a major impact on him, and it later inspired him to make firefighting more efficient. His contributions to the profession include reorganizing the city's fire department, working with his brother to invent a type of fire engine with fire hoses to replace the simple leather buckets used previously, and with help from his son, publishing a manual on the use of the fire hose. While the book was first published in 1690, this second edition was updated with (6) additional plates to reflect the latest firefighting methods used in Amsterdam.

A well-bound and sturdy volume; vellum with slight separation from upper board and typical discoloration, boards with scuffs and scratches, corners rubbed and bumped; spine rubbed at tail and raised bands, and with chips to leather at head, joints creased; interior lightly toned with toning darker at edges, some leaves lightly frayed with closed tears and small edge chips, frequent light grime, wide margins with creases, occasional glue residue and offsetting, and light scattered foxing; scuffing to paste-downs and writing on corner of first free endpaper, title page extended, one page with small ink mark on text, many plates with 1 1/4-in. or smaller tears not impacting images, several leaves and plates with a very small wormhole or worm trail, (2) plates with a tiny hole, damp staining mostly concentrated in top right corner of additional (6) plates, and final plate with (2) large tears not impacting image with one repaired on verso; a very good and complete copy.