Jaarboek voor Nederlandse Boekgeschiedenis - Current Issue

Abstract Nippon (1832–1852) is a seven-volume, state-of-the-art book on Japan and the Far East, written by Philipp Franz von Siebold. He stayed in Japan from 1823 onwards as a doctor in service of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (knil). There, he collected everything that could be collected. But his curiosity was too big: because of his attempt to smuggle official state maps, he was banished from Japan in 1830. He r Read More

Abstract The Richthofenkolleksje is a collection of ten manuscripts on medieval Frisian law, kept at the Frisian Historical and Literary Centre Tresoar in Leeuwarden. In 2022, the Richthofenkolleksje entered the Dutch UNESCO Memory of the World Register. The collection, created as a sub-collection by public notary and legal historian Petrus Wierdsma (1729-1811), came into the hands of legal historian Karl Freiherr von Ric Read More

Abstract This article researches the history of the Indonesian publishing house Adi Poestaka, founded in 1920 in The Hague by Noto Soeroto. Its aim is to place the publisher within the context of colonial book culture and the growth of the Indonesian community in the Netherlands. Adi Poestaka published a diverse portfolio, with literature, scientific publications, and journals with a political aim. The publishing house reflected Noto Read More

Abstract This article introduces the new genre of the scandal spinner, a subcategory of the pamphlet in which an already existing public controversy is mapped, discussed and analyzed in detail, and thereby spun in a certain direction. Based on four examples from the 1960s and 70s Netherlands, all related to controversial humorous TV-shows, the article argues that these often cheaply produced booklets are indeed g Read More

Abstract This article traces the evolution of Chinese printing in the Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century, from its initial appearance as pseudo-characters in European books to the 19th-century efforts to print Chinese texts accurately. It explores technological advancements alongside the contributions of scholars, missionaries, publishers, and often overlooked craftsmen and Chinese assistants. Decisions abou Read More

Abstract The Leiden University Libraries (UBL) manages unique collections, including early texts and objects from Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. These collections have expanded significantly, and the UBL has focused on digitizing them to improve accessibility. The collections include fragile manuscripts and objects from diverse materials like palm leaves and tree bark. The digitization project aims to preserve t Read More

Abstract The Surinamica Collection at the Allard Pierson (University of Amsterdam) is a thematic collection containing numerous printed books, manuscripts, photographs, prints, maps, and archival materials. These documents often reflect a colonial perspective but also include publications that offer a counter-narrative, written by Surinamese authors. Through two examples — premodern books and maps, and twentieth-cen Read More

Abstract This article presents The Early Modern Production of Missionary Books on Indigenous Languages in New Spain and Peru, a monography now published at Amsterdam University Press. The work deals with the production processes of missionary books written in and on Indigenous languages spoken in the former viceroyalties of New Spain and Peru in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries from a book historical p Read More

Abstract In this review article, Alexander Statman’s A Global Enlightenment (2024) is analysed in the context of the historiography of intercultural knowledge exchange. It highlights the influence of Chinese ideas on European ideas on progress and science. It does so from a book historical angle. By researching how Chinese knowledges circulated in print, this review shows how material and commercial aspects influenced t Read More