India 1631 account of India and the Punjab Joannes De Laet. A particularly fine copy and in excellent condition. 299 pages Latin, title page engraved by C. C. Duysend 1631. A very early account of the Punjab and India by Joannes De Laet (1593-1649), a Flemish naturalist and geographer, was Director of the Dutch West Indies Company. This work was compiled from various sources including previously unpublished material in the VOC archives. It is a valuable description of India, especially interesting for the north western parts, and it is probably the first attempt to provide a systematic account of the Mughal Empire for Western readers, the text appears to be in Latin. The travelogue of Laet covers the Punjab and Lahore among other cities in India (p 6 and pages 54-64).