About Olfert Dapper
Lived 1636 – 1689 (aged 52–53). Olfert Dapper was a Dutch writer, physician, historian, geographer and physicist.
Olfert Dapper (January 1636 – 29 December 1689) was a Dutch physician and writer who wrote books about world history and geography although he never travelled outside the Netherlands.
Biography
Olfert Dapper was born in January 1636 in the Jordaan in Amsterdam. On 6 January 1636, he was baptized in the Lutheran church in Amsterdam.
In 1663 wrote a book on the history of Amsterdam. His Description of Africa (1668) is a key text for African studies. His book "is one of the most authoritative 17th-century accounts on Africa published in Dutch. Translations appeared in English, French, and German. Peter S. Beagle dedicated The Last Unicorn to Dapper for his reports of unicorns in Maine and in 2012 wrote a fictional account of Dapper's travels.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Olfert Dapper's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Olfert Dapper?
Dutch physician and writer (1636–1689)
When was Olfert Dapper born?
Olfert Dapper was born in 1636 in Amsterdam.
When did Olfert Dapper die?
Olfert Dapper died on 29 December 1689 in Amsterdam.
What was Olfert Dapper's occupation?
Olfert Dapper was a writer, physician, historian, geographer and physicist.
What nationality was Olfert Dapper?
Olfert Dapper was Dutch.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Olfert Dapper. https://biography.guide/olfert-dapper/
MLA: "Olfert Dapper." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/olfert-dapper/.
Chicago: "Olfert Dapper." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/olfert-dapper/.
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