Bibliographia Neerlandica - a Bibliography of Sources

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This is a list of resources I have found useful for studying the historical geography of the Low Countries (Benelux), with special attention to the period prior to 1650. This focus is consistent with that of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), and notes on the usefulness of the books are written with this purpose in mind; they should not be taken further.

Emphasis is placed on volumes useful for historical geography, establishing the location and existence of cities at various times, and the spelling of place names. Though all of these books have been somewhat useful, those which I have found to be particularly good are indicated by a red lion.

--Walraven van Nijmegen
This list was last updated 8 January 1997.

Barraclough, Geoffrey (ed.)
The Times Concise Atlas of World History

Publication: 1992 (3rd ed.); Hammond, Inc., NJ, USA; 184 + viii pages
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, Many maps
Coverage: 20,000 BCE to present
Description: More recent and more glossy than Shepherd's book, with greater focus on events outside Europe. The "concise" in the title means that smaller regions such as Benelux receive little attention. The are about six maps of value, including medieval trade routes and the Reformation in northern Europe.
Recommendations: Inexpensive in paper cover, but not especially useful for Dutch studies.

Blaeu, Johannes
Blaeu's "The Grand Atlas" of the 17th-century World

Publication: 1991 (reprint); Rizzoli International Publications; 224 pages
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Notes, 100 maps
Coverage: ca. 1500-1660
Description: This is a selected reprinting of maps originally published in Blaeu's Atlas Major in 1662. Though only 4 of the 65 original Benelux maps are reproduced in this edition, they are still valuable. One of these includes all the Seventeen Provinces, and two others are of Brabant, the fourth is of a polder north of Amsterdam.
Recommendations: Excellent for early 17th century geography, but with too few Dutch maps!.

Bossu, Jozef
Vlaanderen in Oude Kaarten: Drie Eeuwen Cartografie
(Flanders in old maps: three centuries of cartography)

Publication: 1983; Lannoo Tielt, Belgium; 168 pp. (folio)
Language: Dutch
Comments: Contents, Notes, Color map reproductions, Endplates
Coverage: ca. 1550-1850
Description: A beautiful collection primarily of maps of Flanders, but also including maps in which that region appears. There are maps at all scales -- from all of western Europe to individual cities, and early drawings of buildings. There is copious textual annotation.
Recommendations: Excellent resource, even beyond geographic research.

Künzel, R. E., D. P. Blok, & J. M. Verhoeff
Lexicon van Nederlandse Toponiemen tot 1200

Publication: 1989; P. J. Meertens, Amsterdam; 495 pages
Language: Dutch
Comments: Contents, Index, Extensive citations and bibliography
Coverage: 1st century to 1200
Description: This is the motherlode of early Dutch toponyms (place names). Entries are alphabetical, and include a description of the place with the name of the province in which it is located. Each has a list of dated citations from period sources, including many kinds of records, and a suggested etymology for the toponym is provided. Best of all, a cumulative index is included which gives all the variant spellings and indicates the root entry. Though no Belgian toponyms are included, this is still one of the best references I know.
Recommendations: Excellent source for documentation

Lambert, Audrey M.
The Making of the Dutch Landscape

Publication: 1985 (2nd ed.); Academic Press, London (etc.); 372 pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Index, Maps, Charts, Illustrations, and Photos, with references for each chapter.
Coverage: to present
Description: Chapters 3-7 (of 9) in this book cover events from prehistoric times to the 17th century, with chapters on basic geography, land settlement, and the rise of towns. The book is extensively researched and carefully written. It is the best introduction to the broad picture of the geographic history of the Netherlands available, and has been used in Dutch universities as a text. Unfortunately, the publisher tells me that it has recently gone out of print.
Recommendations: Excellent source.

Mauritius, Troisfontaine
Grosser Reiseatlas : Benelux + Nordfrankreich

Publication: Ravenstein Verlag; 224 + vii pages
Language: Dutch, French, English (multilingual)
Comments: Summary, Indices, Maps, Tables
Coverage: present
Description: This is the most comprehensive travel atlas I've found for the Low Countries, or possibly for any country. Even the tiny towns are included on the maps and in the index -- and all the maps are numbered and divided into lettered subregions. There are also enlargement maps of the major urban areas.
Recommendations: Great for a first try at locating a city, provided the city still exists.

Michelin Co.
Benelux (Map 407): Carte Routière et Touristique

Publication: 1994; Michelin, Brussel
Language: Dutch, English, French, German
Comments: Maps, Index of places on back, Enlarged maps of capitals.
Coverage: present
Description: This is one of Michelin's respectable map series. The advantage is that it is large yet portable. The fact that the map is entirely on one side of the page makes it nice as a wall mount. There are also separate maps available for the Netherlands (408) and Belgium (409).
Recommendations: Well-prepared, but lacking many of the smaller towns.

Pannekoek, A. J.
Geological History of the Netherlands

Publication: 1956; Staatsdrukkerij- en Uitgeverijbedrijf, The Hague; 147 + xvi pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Photos, Many maps and diagrams, References for each section.
Coverage: Palaeozoic to present
Description: While not of great value to historical geographers interested in only the last few thousand years, this book does describe the lay of the Netherlands and the processes which led to its current form. This is important for understanding patterns of early settlement, land drainage, and agriculture.
Recommendations: Many excellent physical maps, but heavy on the terminology.

Schilder, Günter
Monumenta Cartographica Neerlandica

Publication: 1986; 4 vols.; "Canaletto", Alphen aan den Rijn; total 1057 pp. (folio)
Language: Dutch & English parallel text
Comments: Each volume : Contents, Index, Illustrations; 4 sets of facsimiles in wraps
Coverage: 1550-1700
Description: The stated purpose of this collection is "to present an inventory of rare and precious Dutch maps and charts in the period between 1550 and 1700." The author has succeeded admirably. Many of the maps are reproduced at full-size in the text volumes, or as loose-leaf pages in the separate wraps. This is not only a collection of maps of the Low Countries, but also of Dutch-published maps of other regions. There is also extensive information provided concerning the history of Dutch mapmaking and mapmakers.
Recommendations: One of the most valuable collections of historical maps anywhere.

Shepherd, William R.
Historical Atlas

Publication: 1956 (8th ed.); The Colonial Offset Co.; 341 pp.
Language: English
Comments: Contents, Maps (226 pp.), Index (115 pp.)
Coverage: 2100 BCE to present
Description: A remarkable book, containing well-drawn maps for the history of the world to the present century, including maps of various scales (empires, kingdoms, provinces, and cities) and various themes (economic, religious, political). The book is a bit Eurocentric for those interested in other regions, but there are many maps which include detail in the Low Countries, which sadly are rare in more modern texts.
Recommendations: One of the few sources with maps of pre-1450 Benelux.

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