Boutens

History of the collection: The collection was acquired over a period of years.
Size: The collection comprises several dozen works.
Accessibility: The books are listed in the KB online public catalogue, and can (partly) be accessed via the KB card catalogues. Part of the collection has been placed in the Special Collections repository. The books are for library use only.
More information: Arno Kuipers 070-3140561

The collection

Over the years, the Koninlijke Bibliotheek has gradually acquired almost the entire oeuvre of the poet PC Boutens (1870-1943), Nevertheless, it was pleased to receive more than fifty books from the estate of Mr J Keetelaar by and about PC Boutens in 1987. Since then the collection has been further supplemented by several rare private editions by Boutens that were given to the KB by the Literary Museum. The collection's crowning glory is Naenia, the 'rarest book of 20th-century Dutch literature', which the KB received as a gift from the Friends of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in 1995. Only twelve copies of Naenia were printed in 1903 (according to the colophon; there were probably fourteen copies). The copy now in the collection of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek was in all probability Boutens's own. It was the only copy to be hand-decorated by Jan Toorop.

Literature

Marieke van Delft and Clemens de Wolf, 'P.C.Boutens'. In: Vriendschap in vereniging, red. M. van Delft e.a., Den Haag, 1988, p. 112-114.
Marco Goud. Een ondraaglijke drukfout. De ontstaansgeschiedenis van P.C. Boutens' Naenia, gevolgd door acht brieven van Boutens aan Joh. Enschedé en Zonen, Woubrugge, 2005.
Dick van Halsema, 'Boutens' poëzie kon een dode geliefde goed gebruiken'. In: Vrij Nederland, jrg. 56 (1995), no. 40 (7 oktober), p. 60-61.