Njaï Blaṅda - Melantjong - Third Edition - D. Bolle, Rotterdam ca. 1926 - Colonial Novel

Njaï Blanda is a Dutch-language colonial novel by Melantjong, the pseudonym of H.A.N. Catenius. This copy is the third edition, published around 1926 by D. Bolle in Rotterdam.

The novel is set against the backdrop of the Dutch East Indies and explores the relationships between Europeans and the indigenous population within the colonial society of that time. The title refers to the njai, an indigenous woman who lived in the Dutch East Indies as a housekeeper and often as the life partner of a European man.

The book is therefore not only a literary publication from the interwar period, but also a historical document of how the Dutch East Indies and colonial social relations were depicted in Dutch literature of that era.

This third edition is bound in a cream-colored hardcover with red-brown titling. The title page features the characteristic publisher's vignette of D. Bolle from Rotterdam.

The copy is in a clearly used antiquarian condition. The spine is quite heavily damaged and shows material loss and wear. The light-colored binding also shows visible signs of age and use. The paper is yellowed and shows scattered foxing. The book block itself remains firm and the book is easily readable.

An interesting interwar publication for collectors of Dutch East Indies literature, colonial history, and Dutch books from the early twentieth century.

Specifications

• Title: Njaï Blanda
• Author: Melantjong (H.A.N. Catenius)
• Publisher: D. Bolle
• Place of publication: Rotterdam
• Edition: Third edition
• Date: c. 1926
• Period: Interwar period
• Language: Dutch
• Genre: Colonial novel
• Subject: Dutch East Indies and colonial society
• Binding: Bound hardcover
• Cover: Cream-colored publisher's binding with red-brown lettering
• Size: approx. 19.5 cm high
• Condition: Clearly used antiquarian condition
• Damage: Heavily damaged spine with wear and material loss, signs of use on the binding, and scattered foxing
• Book block: Firm and easily readable
• Origin: Netherlands