Max Havelaar | Multatuli | Elsevier 1907 | First Popular Edition

An early twentieth-century edition of one of the most important works in Dutch literature: Max Havelaar or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company by Multatuli.

This edition was published in 1907 by Uitgevers-Maatschappij Elsevier in Amsterdam and belongs to the first Elsevier popular edition of the work. The book is bound in its original paper publisher’s cover, featuring a portrait of Multatuli. The text is printed in two columns and contains 191 pages.

Max Havelaar was originally published in 1860 and became Multatuli's best-known work. Drawing on his own experiences in the Dutch East Indies, he used the novel to expose abuses within the colonial administration and the treatment of the Javanese population. This 1907 popular edition demonstrates how the work was made available to a wider Dutch reading public decades later.

Included at the back are the Notes and Clarifications for the 1875 Edition, revised, amended, and supplemented in 1881. The edition was printed by H.J. van de Garde & Co. in Zalt-Bommel.

The book shows clear signs of its long history. The paper cover and spine are heavily worn, and the binding is fragile and loose in places. The pages are age-toned and exhibit local spotting, minor damage, and signs of use. The book is still readable but must be handled with care due to the fragile binding.

A characterful, now antique edition of a classic of Dutch literature, still present in its original paper format.