Commanders of Dutch East India Ships in the Eighteenth Century

2011 First English-language edition hardback  8vo  xii (1) 336pp 36 monochrome halftones/plates (including the frontispiece statue of Jakobus Ariesz Arkenbout), 2 maps, and 4 tables,  publisher’s original glazed pictorial boards. No dust jacket-as issued.

Written by Jaap R. Bruijn, Professor Emeritus of Maritime History at Leiden University, this monograph provides an exhaustive institutional and social history of the shipmasters who commanded the merchant fleets of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC) during the 18th century. Bruijn examines their recruitment, navigational examinations, career progression, conditions of life at sea, and opportunities for private trade. The study tracks how commanders navigated both maritime hazards and complex commercial networks between the Netherlands, the Cape of Good Hope, Batavia, and Canton.

A 2011 first English edition scholarly study detailing the careers, social background, navigational training, and private trade networks of Dutch East India Company shipmasters in the 18th century. Published by The Boydell Press with illustrations, maps, and comparative tables.