The Linschoten-Vereeniging was founded in 1908 by a group of Dutch historians, diplomats and naval officers. Inspired by the Hakluyt Society in the United Kingdom, the founding fathers of the Linschoten-Vereeniging were equally fascinated by travel and exploration, and decided to promote the publication of historical travel accounts and others sources in the Dutch language.

The Society was named after the Dutch author and traveller Jan Huyghen van Linschoten, whose travel account Itinerario (published in 1596 and based on his travels in Portuguese East Asia between 1579 and 1592) includes a description of the sea route to East Asia - and thus guided Dutch merchants and various fortune seekers towards overseas adventures.

In November 2019, the Linschoten-Vereenging will present the 118^th volume in its series of Werken van de Linschoten-Vereeniging. The book “Ter exempel van anderen”, which is based on court cases and trails against the crews of the Dutch pirate ships Trompeuse and Resolution, gives us a unique insight in the daily life on board of pirate ships in the 18^th century Caribbean. This approach on publishing historical documents illustrates the particular mission of the Linschoten-Vereeniging; not only to put the lives of maritime big shots like Michiel de Ruyter or Piet Heyn in the spotlights, but also to cherish the personal observations by ordinary ‘hands on deck’, European slaves in North Africa or artists on a family visit.

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