PREFACE

The third, concluding volume of “Literature of Java” contains Addenda and a General Index, preceded by Illustrations, Facsimiles of Manuscripts, Maps and some Minor Notes, additions which may he of use to students of Javanese literature. The older catalogues of collections of Indonesian manuscripts (Javanese, Malay, Sundanese, Madurese, Balinese), which were written in Dutch, did not offer such additional aids to interested readers. One of the reasons was, that the authors (Vreede, Brandes, van, Ronkel, Juynboll, Berg) presupposed a certain knowledge of the Indonesian peoples, their countries and their culture with Dutch students. As often as not the latter, or their families, had lived for many years in Java, and they were destined, when they had completed their studies in The Netherlands, to pass one or more decades of their active life in the tropics in the service of Government, the Christian Missions or the Bible Society. The Archipelago was their second home country. Some familiarity with things Indonesian was found in several circles of society in The Netherlands before the second world war, and information (though not always scholarly and exact) was supplied by quite a number of books and periodicals. For this reason it was thought superfluous to encumber specialistic books like catalogues of manuscripts with maps and general information which could be found easily elsewhere, for instance in the Dutch Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch-Indië”. As circumstances have changed it is hoped that students of Javanese culture who are unfamiliar with the Dutch pre-war tradition may derive some benefit from the additional notes and pieces of information supplied in the present book. Beside the acknowledgements to the institutions and persons mentioned in the Prefaces to, Volume One and Volume Two, the author has to thank the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs, Commonwealth Office, London,, for his permission to 1 reproduce a drawing from manuscript no. MSS Jav. C 1 in the India Office Library. Dr R. Roolvink, of the Indonesian department of the University of Leiden, has constantly given his sympathy and good advice during the years of preparation of “Literature of Java”. The author thanks him in particular for his assistance in making the plans of the maps. Thanks are due also to Mr H. Abrahams, of the Nijmeegse Centrale voor Dialect- en Naamkunde for the trouble lie has taken in drawing the maps.