Ferdinand Verbiest, (1623-1688) was a Flemish Jesuit missionary in China during the Qing dynasty. He was an accomplished mathematician and astronomer and proved to the court of the Kangxi Emperor that European astronomy was more accurate than Chinese astronomy. He then corrected the Chinese calendar and was later asked to rebuild and re-equip the Beijing Ancient Observatory, being given the roles of Head of the Mathematical Board and Director of the Observatory. He became close friends with the Kangxi Emperor, who frequently requested his instruction in geometry, philosophy and music. Verbiest worked as a diplomat, cartographer, and translator; he spoke Latin, German, Dutch, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian and Manchu. He wrote more than thirty books.

Thomas Pereira (1645-1708) was a Portuguese Jesuit, mathematician and scientist who worked as a missionary in Qing China. He arrived in China in 1672 and first stayed in the Portuguese colony of Macau, where he was enrolled in the University College of St. Paul. Pereira was later sent to Beijing to work in the court of the Kangxi Emperor, where he stayed during most of his career. In 1689, the Kangxi Emperor sent Pereira and his colleague Jean-François Gerbillon to interpret at the negotiations between Qing China and the Russian Empire in Nerchinsk, which eventually resulted in the Treaty of Nerchinsk.

Pierre-Joseph d'Orléans (1641-1698) was a French Jesuit priest, preacher, historian and spiritual writer.

Nicolaes Witsen (1641-1717) was a Dutch statesman who was mayor of Amsterdam thirteen times, between 1682 and 1706. In 1693, he became administrator of the Dutch East India Company. In 1689, he was extraordinary-ambassador to the English court and became Fellow of the Royal Society. In his free time, he was cartographer, maritime writer, and an authority on shipbuilding. His books on the subject are important sources on Dutch shipbuilding in the 17th century. Furthermore, he was an expert on Russian affairs. He was the first to describe Siberia, the Far East and Central Asia in his study Noord en Oost Tartarye.

Hakluyt Society First Series, XVII; 8vo (22.5 x 15 cm); ex libris Inner Temple Library with bookplates and stamps, withdrawn stamp to titles, otherwise clean internally; original publisher's gilt blue cloth, slightly dampstained boards, spine a little darkened with a small chip to head, otherwise a very good copy; 4, [6], xv, [2], vi, 153pp.