The chosen people - The relief of Leyden one century later One-hundred years after the relief of Leiden in 1574, the 'Year of Disaster' ravaged the Netherlands. Karel Crucius (1648-1728) managed to put present hardship in historical context. Anton van der Lem • October 02, 2019
Schaefers’s daguerreotypes of the Borobudur In 1844, the German photographer Adolf Schaefer was recommended by Ph. F. von Siebold, advisor to the Ministry of the Colonies, to document the antiquities of the island of Java. Anouk Mansfeld • September 23, 2019
The price of a mounted photograph by Woodbury & Page New information about pricing of tourist photographs uncovered in conservation effort. Guest author and Karin Scheper • September 02, 2019
The Syair Tabut, an overlooked scroll This long overlooked scroll, the Malay language Syair Tabut, is the only eyewitness account of the last Muharram commemorations in Singapore in 1864, a practice still banned to this day. Guest author • August 07, 2019
Following Ganesha’s footsteps through the Leiden Special Collections Follow Ganesha in his many forms through the Asian Special Collections at Leiden University Library. Doris Jedamski • July 17, 2019
Donum I. Ludolfi Two beautifully decorated bindings donated to Leiden University Library and Bibliotheca Thysiana, as a token of friendship to a deceased travel companion. Kasper van Ommen • June 24, 2019
A silk binding from Yemen It’s very rare to come across a binding that seems to be unrelated to any type of binding we know. But it does happen. A cloth binding on a Yemeni manuscript is a case in point. Karin Scheper • June 07, 2019
The cartography of Captain James Cook It must have been quite the sight. On the 3rd of June 1769 – now 250 years ago – Englishmen were on the island of Tahiti looking through high-quality telescopes to watch a rare natural phenomenon: the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun. Guest author • June 02, 2019
The Ricklefs collection at Leiden University Libraries. Some material features. Manuscripts are not only about content. The leather bindings, the kinds of paper, and the ink used may tell us stories without words – material talks. Dr. Dick van der Meij will introduce us to some Javanese manuscripts Guest author • May 13, 2019
