'-*•1
Johannes van Keulen's press between 1681 and 1684 in Amsterdam. The sixth part
followed much later in 1753.
The facsimile edition of this pilot guide, published by Theatrum Orbis Terrarum
Ltd.,1 is the enlarged and improved edition of 1728 with the sixth part from 1753
appended. The 1728 edition was produced by Gerard van Keulen, while the sixth part
from 1753 was produced by Johannes van Keulen II.
The six parts contain a total of 256 sea- and coastal Charts, coast profiles or views
(so called opdoemingen and a few engravings of ships. The regional division of the
six parts of the Zee-Fakkel is as follows:
Part I: The navigation of the Baltic, Norway and Northern Russia.
The navigation of the North Sea, England, France, Spain and Portugal up
to the Cape Verde Islands.
The navigation of the coasts of the Mediterranean.
The navigation of the coasts and islands of the West Indies and North-
America.
The navigation of the Westcoast of Africa and the coast of Brazil.
The navigation of the coasts of the Indian Ocean, Indonesia and China.
Part II:
Part III:
Part IV:
Part V:
Part VI:
From this regional division one can see that, with the exception of the Westcoast of
North and South America, the entire world was covered with detailed coastal charts.
This Situation is quite unique, because never before this period, and never by foreign
publishers was such a complete and beautiful series of charts of the whole world
published.
The Amsterdam hydrographer Johannes van Keulen accomplished an unimaginable
feat by Publishing in print the greater part of the world's coastal areas. His activities,
Three different copies of Van Keulen's Groote ligtende Zee-Fakkel (Copyright UNF1Utrecht).
290 K.N.A.G. Geograßsch Tijdschrift VI (1972) Nr. 3
