On 13 April 1934, the first issue of Libelle magazine, 'an illustrated weekly for women', appeared. The magazine was an immediate success. It contained articles about housekeeping, (home-made) fashion, family, education, cooking, holidays, royal houses and famous Dutch people. There were also letter columns, reports, stories and puzzles.
Signature: KW DPG 0664
The Visboeck by Adriaen Coenen (1514-1587) is a manuscript from 1579 about sea creatures. It is about fish, but also about animals and people who have a close connection with the sea (for example, the Inuit from Greenland). Coenen gives a description of the animals and people, with as many characteristics as possible. He provides this information with colourful illustrations, which are also very accurate.
Signature: KW 78 E 54
On 10 July 1584 Balthasar Gerards shot William of Orange on the steps of the Prinsenhof in Delft. For this he received a reward from King Philip II of Spain, who accused William of Orange of high treason. Because Balthasar Gerards was executed shortly after the murder, the reward went to his immediate family. This letter of reward from 1590 is the official declaration of the Spanish king.
Signature: KW 1930 A 008
Mijnheer Prikkebeen was written by Johan Jacob Anthony Goeverneur. It is considered the first Dutch comic strip. Only, it's not really a Dutch story. The drawings are not Dutch either. The original was written by the Swiss teacher, writer and illustrator Rodolphe Töpffer (1799-1846). He wrote the original under the title Histoire de Monsieur Cryptogame. It was published in the French weekly L'illustration between 25 January and 19 April 1845.
Signature: KW BJ 01955
The Lancelot compilation is a Middle Dutch manuscript from around 1320-1330. It was probably made in Antwerp. It contains 10 chivalric novels about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, such as Lancelot and Walewein. The book is the 2nd part of a 2-part set. The 1st part has been lost. The remaining part of the Lancelot compilation is one of the most important sources for Dutch literature in the Middle Ages.
Signature: KW 129 A 10
The Nassau-Vianden Book of Arms contains coloured drawings of the coats of arms of the ancestors of Engelbrecht II of Nassau (1451-1504). This was a nobleman from Breda. It is a simple, thin booklet. It is a kind of 'family book', with an overview of more than two centuries of famous predecessors.
Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium by Maria Sibylla Merian is a beautifully illustrated book about plants and insects in Surinam from 1705. It is so beautiful that Uitgeverij Lannoo made a facsimile of it in 2016. As a result, this extraordinary book is now available for sale to everyone.
Signature: KW 1792 A 19
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