Rietstap

Johannes Baptista Rietstap (12 May 1828–24 December 1891) was a Dutch heraldist and genealogist. He is most well known for his publication of the Armorial Général. This monumental work contains the blazons of the coats of arms of more than 130,000 European families. It is still one of the most complete works of its kind.

Rietstap was born in 1828 in Rotterdam to Elizabeth Hermina Remmert. His father, Willem Hendrick Rietstap, was an accountant and insurance agent. From an early age, Rietstap worked in the world of words. His first job was at a bookstore, and he was shortly thereafter assigned to a position as with the newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant. While working there, Rietstap began to nurture his interest in the history and theory of heraldry.

Along with this growing interest in heraldry, Rietstap began to show a proficiency at for learning other languages. At age 25 he decided that he would learn Latin. When the commissioners of his newspaper told him that they wanted one of the editors to know Spanish, he mastered this language, as well. Rietstap did not last long in the noisy editorial offices, and soon moved on to the next step in his career. In November 1850 he accepted a position with the Stenographical Department of the Chambers of the Staten-Generaal which had been formed the year before and this position became full-time and permanent in 1852. Shortly after this, Rietstap married Johanna Maria de Haas on 16 September 1857. The couple were childless.

Rietstap's first publications mainly stemmed from his multilingual abilities. He translated works of non-fiction, historical and romantic novels, and travel journals in French, German, and English. He continued to work as a translator into the early 1870s. His greatest contributions in the world of publishing related to his hobby of heraldry, though. He focused mostly on personal heraldry of families, and much less on civic heraldry. During this period he published the Handboek der Wapenkunde (Manual of Heraldry) which was an important addition to the body of work on Dutch heraldry. It has been expanded and updated and remains a standard work on the subject.

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