This page provides links to the rare and valuable works from the 19th century to the present and to other special modern printed books.      

Achterberg

In 1989 the widow of the poet Gerrit Achterberg (1905-1962) bequeathed to the KB one copy of each impression of each book written by her husband. The KB’s collection of works by Achterberg is almost complete.

Bibliophile works

The collection of specially designed, rare and valuable works, private press-books and artists’ books increases by purchases and gifts.

   

Book sales catalogues

The auction and booksellers catalogues the KB receives are kept by the library. At this moment, the collection amounts to some 50,000 copies, among which there are c.580 17th- and 18th-century editions and some 3,000 from the 19th century.

Brusse

The complete list of the Rotterdam publishing house Brusse from 1903 to 1969 gives an overview of modern book design in 1026 different titles.

   

Du Perron

The Du Perron collection stems from the estate of the publisher AAM Stols and comprises works by writer E. du Perron (1899-1940) and copies of periodicals that he contributed to.

Illustrated works

This collection consists of 19th and 20th-century illustrated books with coloured and uncoloured etchings, wood, metal, copper and steel engravings, (coloured) lithographs, and other illustrations.

   

Illegal editions

During World War II there appeared in the Netherlands more than 1,000 clandestine and illegal publications, varying from colourful Werkman editions to stencilled leafs of poetry. Three quarters of them are present in the KB collection.

Children's books

There are c.170,000 editions in the largest collection of children’s books in the Netherlands, from the Proeve van kleine gedigten voor kinderen to Pluk van de Petteflet.

   

Koopman

With 10.000 books – artist’s books, first editions of literery lions, handschriften, archiefstukken en illustraties – is deze collectie Franse uitgaven een unicum in Nederland.

Newspapers

The KB has the largest collection of newspapers in the Netherlands. Many of them are available on microfiche or CD-rom, while a growing number may be found online. 

   

NIOD-posters

In 1983, the then State (now Netherlands) Institute for War Documentation deposited its collection of war posters in the KB. The collection consists of Dutch placards and posters from the period 1940-1945.

Comics

The KB has collected comics since the end of the 1960s. The lion´s share of Dutch comics enter the library via the Dutch deposit library, but the collection comprises a representiative selection of foreign comics.