Beauplan, 1660. Description of Ukraine
Year of publication:
1660
Place of publication:
Rouen, France
Author:
Guillaume Levasseur de Beauplan
Size:
octavo
Provenance:
-
Artifact Category:
rare book
Historical Significance
Artistic Value
Description
Condition
The first systematic European source on Ukraine. The book synthesizes geography, economy, ways of life, population, river routes, fortifications and Cossack military customs. It rests on Beauplan’s maps that fixed the name “Ukraine” in European scholarly and publishing tradition. Issued under King John II Casimir, it boosted Europe’s interest in Ukrainian lands.
Beauplan’s “Description of Ukraine” is not a dry register. It reads like early non-fiction where fact and vivid imagery work together. Writing as an engineer-observer, he measures distances, currents and crossings, sketches landscapes, fortification types and river rapids. This concreteness creates a strong sense of presence.
Rare Rouen edition of Beauplan’s “Description d’Ukranie”, 1660. The author speaks in the first person as an observer, adding brief march episodes. He records customs, dress, food, military practice and feast days. The narrative avoids moralizing and relies on witnessed or measured data, which keeps it lively and impartial.
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