leidenspecial­collectionsblog — page 9

Early Printed and Rare Books

Bad blood at an 18th-century printing type auction

Printers kept a close eye on each other in the 18th-century Dutch book industry. A stinging comment from printer Lobbedanus regarding one of his colleagues gives an intriguing insight into the trade of printing types.

Manuscripts, Archives and Letters · Asian Special Collections

The success story of Jacques Aanstoots, electrical engineer in the Dutch East Indies: part 2

The Special Collections of Leiden University hold the diaries of Jacques Aanstoots (1910-1912). They attract the attention of the Dutch readership for the name of the writer alone: ‘aanstoot’ means ‘offence’ in Dutch. Who was he? What did he write? And how did ‘his’ writings function?

Manuscripts, Archives and Letters · Asian Special Collections

The success story of Jacques Aanstoots, electrical engineer in the Dutch East Indies: part 1

The Leiden Special Collections hold the diaries of Jacques Aanstoots (1910-1912). They attract the attention of the Dutch readership for the name of the writer alone: ‘aanstoot’ means ‘offence’ in Dutch. Who was he? What did he write? And how did ‘his’ writings function?

Manuscripts, Archives and Letters

An Unknown Latin Manuscript Translation of Descartes’ 'L’Homme'

A previously unknown manuscript of a Latin translation of Descartes’ L’homme has resurfaced in the collection of the UBL. A stunning discovery at a time of renewed interest in L’homme. Hopes are that the manuscript can help solve the problematic history of the text and numerous textual problems.

Manuscripts, Archives and Letters · Photography

A rich Dutch East Indies family history impeccably preserved

A donation of an (almost) complete family archive, including photography, correspondence, official documents, but also textiles and clothing, provides a glimpse into life in the Dutch East Indies.

Women artists in the Leiden Special Collections (Part 2)

Two years ago, I wrote a blog about women artists in the collection of the University Library. The focus was on recent acquisitions and living artists. This new episode can be considered a prequel and discusses women artists in the Leiden collections from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.