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Leiden is not only the oldest university in the Netherlands, but it also has a European reputation for publishing scientific works since the 16th century. Due to the freedom of the press and the high quality of printing, scientists from all over Europe had their books printed in this city. Like Descartes, who lived in the Netherlands for a long time and wrote his world-famous Discourse on Method (with the well-known expression “I think, therefore I am”) in Leiden, with which he laid an important basis for Scientific Research.
Athenaeum
Or the latest book by Galileo Galilei, whose previous books had been published by Italian publishers. In his Dialogue on the Two World Systems, he had offended the Pope by putting him on the list of banned books and forbidding Italian publishers from publishing his books. This is how he ended up at Elzevier, the official printing house of Leiden University. It appeared in 1638 and presented a new way of science, in which Galileo attached particular importance to mathematics.
This year, Leiden is the European City of Science. This is also the reason for the publication of “Books that have written history”, in which 29 authors discuss the scientific significance of 26 famous books from the collection of Leiden University Libraries. In the summer exhibition “Books that made history”, 25 books are also on display in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden from June 22 to September 4, 2022.
These are just two more examples from Books That Made History. A total of 26 books from the collection of Leiden University Library will be examined, in chapters written by different scientists. To make a selection from the collection, a special committee was set up, guided by the question of which books have determined our understanding of the world to this day. The result is a very varied mix of scientific disciplines, which makes the book read like a train.
Since 1875 it has been motto of Leiden University (also reflected in the logo) Praesidium Libertatis, Latin for “bulwark of freedom”. Carel Stolker, former Rector Magnificus, refers to it in the preface. This freedom enabled Leiden to play an important role in spreading the ideas of thinkers across Europe.
Off the beaten track
Leiden University Libraries
Leiden University Libraries
The position of women and people of color is also addressed in the book. The thesis of Anna Maria van Schurman, the first student admitted to university in the Netherlands, is special. In this book, published in Leiden in 1641, she writes, among other things, that women are just as fit for art and science as men. She was admitted to Utrecht University, where she attended classes separated from her male classmates by a curtain. Yet many male scientists had his book on their shelves.
Equally special is the story of We Slaves of Suriname by Anton de Kom. This book was discovered in 1969 in the university library by a student from Leiden from the Surinamese Students’ Union, who took it with him to distribute to his fellow students. It was the first book on the history of Suriname that was not written from the perspective of the colonial ruler. De Kom was the son of a former Suriname slave and his book is a fierce condemnation of racism and exploitation. This student’s act ensured that the book is now known to a wide audience.
And so there is much more to discover in the books that have written history (like on the creation of the WNT, the largest dictionary in the world). The lyrics are all well written for a wide audience, and have a pleasant length. The illustrations also contribute to the reading pleasure. If you still want to see the books in real life, you need to act fast. They will be on display at the National Museum of Antiquities until early September.
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