address: Kattenburgerplein 1, 1018 KK Amsterdam
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 10.00-16.45 h.; if possible with appointment (by telephone)
Telephone: 020-5232311
Telefax: 020-5232213
Chief Curator: G.J.D. Wildeman

Homepage Library State Museum "Dutch Maritime Museum"

History
The idea for a historical maritime museum emanated from the enthusiasm of a few individuals -with connections in shipping firms and the navy- who had helped to raise the consciousness about our maritime history. Most aided in several maritime exhibitions from 1900 onwards. In 1916 they (a.o. W.M. Mensing) founded a society and in 1922 they could open the museum. There was agreement with the Rotterdam Maritime Museum that this would concentrate on ship-technical matters, while Amsterdam would concentrate on historical matters. Since 1975, when it became a state museum, this division was raised. In the 30s several atlases and globes on loan by Mensink were sold by him to the Maritime Museum in Greenwich, a severe loss to the museum. With the dwindling of shipping companies in Amsterdam the Museum could enrich its collections with present material, but this also meant that the support from these companies was diminishing. Since the 70s the museum focuses more on the outer-museum (ships etc.), nautical knowledge and maritime culture. One of its show-pieces is a life-size replica of the East-Indiaman 'Amsterdam'. Besides the precious library the museum excels a.o. in ship-models, paintings and old globes.

Contents
Besides many gifts of ship-models, paintings and artifacts the museum could, since 1920/21, dispose of the Mensing-collection of atlases, globes and reference works. In 1932 the collection of globes was enlarged with globes of Mercator, Plancius, Blaeu and Van Langren and presently is the largest collection in the Netherlands (36). The museum also contains many large 16th and 17th century wall-maps and a large collection of sea-itineraries, the latter for a large from W.M. Mensing. The large collection of publications on the art of navigation was donated by Ernst Crone.

The library possesses ca. 40,000 titles in ca. 60,000 volumes. Some 30 % is printed before 1800

Cataloguing
In 1923-1925 Mensing produced the bibliography of his collections (see chapter 2).
After his retirement the former director Voorbeytel Cannenburg wrote the catalogue of the library, published in 1960 (see below). The catalogue consists of several thousand descriptions and is systematically divided in 20 subjects, some divided again in many sub-subjects. Furthermore there is an index on personal names and names of vessels, and an geographical index.
The library also has a alphabetical catalogue, a card catalogue with cath words on proper names, and systematic card catalogue, containing the items described in the above mentioned catalogue and the entries of acquisitions after 1960.
Acquisitions from 1988 onwards are accessed in a local computer system, presently only to be used by library-staff.

Reproduction
Monochrome xeroxcopies (at the discretion of library-staff, depending on condition of the document), monochrome /polychrome photographs and polychrome slides can be supplied. Prices can be given on request. Orders cannot be accepted by telephone.

Bibliographies - Literature
1. Verzameling - Mensing in het Scheepvaartmuseum te Amsterdam : I bibliotheek. -- Amsterdam : Fred. Muller & Co., 1923-1925. -- 2 vol. (373 p.).
2. Catalogus der bibliotheek [van het] Nederlandsch Historisch Scheepvaart Museum / [samengest. door W. Voorbeijtel Cannenburg]. -- Amsterdam : N. Israel [distr.], 1960. -- 2 vol. (1154 p.)
3. The Crone library : books on the art of navigation left by Dr. Ernst Crone to the Scheepvaart Museum in 1975 and books on the same subject acquired by the museum previously ... / by Hubert J.M.W. Peters . --Nieuwkoop : De Graaf, 1989. -- 805 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. -- ISBN 90-6004-372-3.
4. Roeien met de riemen : 75 jaar Vereeniging Nederlandsch Scheepvaart Museum : jaarboek 1991 van de Vereeniging Nederlandsch Historisch Scheepvaart Museum. -- Amsterdam : Cramwinckel, 1991. -- 232 p. : ill. -- ISBN 90-71894-23-1.
5. For the description of the globes see the publication by Peter van der Krogt (40).

Atlantes Neerlandici
The numbers relate to the "List of Dutch atlases and (partial) facsimiles thereof", primarily based on C. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici.

Atlantes Neerlandici <1880.

001700
001800
002600
004900
004900A1I
006200
006300
006800
007400
007500
010000
010200
010700
010800
012200
012300
013600
013900
014600
015300
015400
015600
015800
016100
016200
016400
016500
016600
016700
016800
017000
017100A1I
017300
017800
018500
018600
018700
018800
018900
019000
019100
019200
019300
023300
023600
023800
024300
024500
025050
026400
027500
030400
033150
032600
033200
033800
034100
036300
037900
038550
038600
038900
039200
040300
041200
042250
042900
043400
043900
044000
044400
044500
045100
045450
046100
046300
047100
047700
048000
048300
048500
053400
053600
053900
054000
054300
055300
055800
055900
056000
056700
058200
058900
059200
059400
061000
062200
065800
067100
067800
068300
070000
070800
071200
074400
074800
075300
075800
076400
076800
077100
077200
078400
079500
079600
079650
080200
080400
081900
082900
083500
083600
083800
084000
084200
084600
085200
085700
085700A1
086300
086400
086500
086600
087800
088700
089000
089000A1
089800
089900
090000
091800
092200
092300
092300A1
092800
092900
093000
093800
094200
094300
094350
095000
095100
095300
095300A1
095700
095800
097300
097500
097600
097600A1
098000
099000
099200
099200A1
099500
099800
100000
100050
100100
100200
100800
105100
105300
105600
105900
106300
106400
108500
109200
109400
110700
111900
112300
112700
113100
113200
113700
115100
115500
115900
116100
116200
117000
117900
121100
122800
123000
123100
125600
125900
126400
126700
127000
127100
128100
128400
129000
130000
130200
130400
130800
131850
133100
133200
133500
133700
1351A2IT
135200
135700
135900
136500
136800
137000
137300
137500
137600
138100
138300
138800
140300
141300
141400
141500
143900
144200
144950
147500
147700
150000
150300
150600
150900
151100
151300
151400
151700
151800
152000
152100A1I
152200
152800
152900
1529A1I
154700
159000
159900
160100
162800
163300
163550
165000
165850
167000
167200AIT
167400
167500A1T
167800
168200
168900
169000
1695A1I
169800
170100
170700
172700
174600
175100
175600
175700

Atlantes Neerlandici 1880-1940
002450