In 975 Count Dirk and Countess Hildegard donate this manuscript to the Abbey of Egmond. To commemmorate the occasion they add illustrations depicting the donation. A thousand years later Dirk and Hildegard are the oldest surviving depictions of 'Dutch' individuals.

In 1270 Jacob van Maerlant writes his medieval 'Wikipedia', for the first time in Dutch. It contains descriptions of peoples with eyes in their shoulders and people with feet that serve as umbrellas. Such is the state of the sciences at the time.

The story of the nun Beatrijs is an early milestone in Dutch literature. Only one Dutch-language version of this story survives, in a manuscript dating from 1374.

Around 1400 a group of friends in Bruges celebrates life in songs and prayers. Their songs cover a wide range of topics, from tender love and the Virgin Mary to getting drunk and sex. It is a miracle that these lively texts have survived to our day.

Enjoy the meticulous paintings by famous Flemish artists before you discover that this booklet is only 9 by 13 cm. Trivulzio is a miniature miracle.

In the sixteenth century Abraham Ortelius put together the first 'modern' atlas: a book containing standard-sized maps. This book was not meant for the early explorers, but for those who stayed at home and yet wanted to share in their adventures.

Adriaen Coenen is an enthusiast for all things relating to the sea. He writes a lavishly illustrated book about the wonders of the sea - both proven and imagined.

In his Album Amicorum Jacob Heyblocq from Amsterdam gathers contributions by the most well-known artists and writes of 17th-century Amsterdam, including Rembrandt, Vondel and many others.

Frederick de Wit's famous seventeenth-century atlas depicting the development of Dutch towns and cities. You can distinguish almost every house, every tree and every back yard.

Around 1700 Johannes van Call makes some 70 drawings of Rhine landscapes and Dutch cities. They are printed using an early technique (à la poupée) for multi-colour printing.

A monumental set of books comprising drawings of some 250 Dutch birds, most of them life-sized. In 2014 the KB and Lannoo Publishers published a reprint.

In 1778 Hieronymus van Alphen publishes his first book of 'Little poems for children'. His book marks the beginning of Dutch literature for children.

The Dutch artist Jan Toorop hand-paints illustrations to accompany J.C. Bouten's poem 'Naenia'

Experimental work by printer H.N. Werkman from the thirties of the twentieth century. Jazz music inspires his colourful variations with form.

In 1952 a Dutch publisher introduces Walt Disney's comics magazine in the Netherlands. He has to work hard to convince parents and teachers that comics are not harmful for children.