Pieter Best

Pieter Best was a Dutch educator and author, born in 1800 and died on October 26, 1852, in Amsterdam. He spent many years there as an "eerste leermeester," or senior teacher, at one of the city’s intermediate schools, and he became known for writing educational and moral works for children and students.

His books covered geography, history, and Dutch language study. A contemporary biographical source notes that his Grondbeginselen der Aardrijkskunde (1841) was especially popular, and that he also produced a school map of Europe in 1846. He wrote both instructional texts and edifying stories, including works about Michiel de Ruyter and filial devotion, and he collaborated with C.F. Julius on the reading book Oom Willem en zijne vriendjes.

Today, Best is chiefly remembered for Tijdtafel der geschiedenis van het vaderland, a compact Dutch history arranged in twenty lessons. The surviving records readily confirm his role as a respected schoolbook writer, though a verified portrait does not appear to be easily available from the sources consulted.