During the 17th century, the book industry of the Dutch Republic was blooming. This business did not focus purely on the province of Holland however. In this thesis, the printing work of the...Show moreDuring the 17th century, the book industry of the Dutch Republic was blooming. This business did not focus purely on the province of Holland however. In this thesis, the printing work of the Frisian printer Samuel van Haringhouck is discussed. Van Haringhouck was active in the city of Bolsward for almost 30 years. This thesis focuses on the way Van Haringhouck combined both local, national and international influences in his work and how he tried to sell his work to an audience outside of Friesland.Show less
Botany saw numerous publications in Europe during the 16th – 17th centuries, most of which contained illustrations. Another visual aspect of these books which has received less study is the...Show moreBotany saw numerous publications in Europe during the 16th – 17th centuries, most of which contained illustrations. Another visual aspect of these books which has received less study is the frontispiece. This essay provides a case study on the two frontispieces for the English work known as "The Herball" (1597, 1633). This study investigates the visual thinking of early modern Europe and the relationship between art and science during this period. The central question to be answered during this research is: What can the 1597 and 1633 frontispieces for John Gerard’s "The Herball" tell us about the visual understanding of botany in the late 16th and early 17th century England?Show less
This thesis examines the buying behaviour of Dutch women during the eighteenth century and determines whether a change can be detected in the kinds of works that women bought. The research is based...Show moreThis thesis examines the buying behaviour of Dutch women during the eighteenth century and determines whether a change can be detected in the kinds of works that women bought. The research is based on the female customers that came to Luchtmans, an academic bookshop in Leiden, and thus the main source of this study is the extensive archive that the firm has left behind. At the start of the eighteenth century, a wealthy mother primarily visited the shop to purchase school books for her young children. However, as the century progressed, an increasing number of unmarried women came to buy newspapers and novels, as they had more freedom to pursue their own interests. Although these women were certainly not representative of the general female population in Leiden, an interesting shift presented itself when comparing women from two time periods in the eighteenth century.Show less
Digital technology enables us to access and examine texts in ways that are not possible in printed publications. One of the potential digital enhancements involves making the meaning of texts...Show moreDigital technology enables us to access and examine texts in ways that are not possible in printed publications. One of the potential digital enhancements involves making the meaning of texts machine-readable. This has been referred to as semantic publishing and many scientific publishers have made extensive use of semantic technologies in their publications. Meanwhile, the potential of semantic enhancements for the humanities remains to a great degree unexplored. This thesis examines semantic enhancements in the context of how humanities research is conducted: Which type of humanities publication is best suited for semantic enhancement? Which guidelines should govern how the text is coded? And how can the end-users of the book benefit from the enhancements? These questions are examined through a case study of a single monograph (The Book-hunter in London, 1895) since this is a particularly important form of publication in the humanities. The focus throughout is on the end-user of the enhanced edition.Show less
This thesis is a report on what the definition of authorship is and if Te Winkel meets the criteria to be seen as an author of poetry. The edition consists of two parts. In the first part...Show moreThis thesis is a report on what the definition of authorship is and if Te Winkel meets the criteria to be seen as an author of poetry. The edition consists of two parts. In the first part authorship is investigated. The development of the word ‘author’ is given and several philosophers is given some attention to come to the final definition of ‘authorship’. Along the way the findings will be coupled with Te Winkel’s work and life. This will eventually lead to a definition of Te Winkel’s poetical activities. Was it authorship or recreational writing? In the second part of this thesis a full edition of Te Winkel’s book Lycoris: Bundel minnedichten 1864 - 1874 is given.Show less
Reading is an activity that is realised in a specific place and period by individuals with different backgrounds, interests, expectations, and degrees of literacy. Reconstructing reading and its...Show moreReading is an activity that is realised in a specific place and period by individuals with different backgrounds, interests, expectations, and degrees of literacy. Reconstructing reading and its different practices throughout history is therefore an elaborate task. This paper proposes the use of the 'reading spaces' model as a methodology to outline the reading possibilities for various social groups in specific historical periods and places. The study goes beyond the basic divide of the literate and the illiterate by considering a wider context and analysing the elements that can foster or limit reading. These influences have been determined through a review of existing historical reading studies and can be summarised into education, profession, socio-economic conditions, culture, and the legal and political system of any certain period. This particular approach to reading studies was developed as a method to study the activity of reading in seventeenth-century New Spain. The paper provides a theoretical framework for the reading spaces model as a basis and it then examines the various differentiators and conditions that influence reading in seventeenth-century colonial Mexico. Finally, it presents the analysis of three book inventories from that period and compares them to their corresponding reading spaces.Show less
This thesis attempts to trace the history of a century of book art: from Futurism to the digital era. It brings to attention relevant examples of art works and their creators, proving that the...Show moreThis thesis attempts to trace the history of a century of book art: from Futurism to the digital era. It brings to attention relevant examples of art works and their creators, proving that the evolution of the book-object has now reached another revolutionary point, similar to the one that allowed the Futurist movement to flourish. The thesis finds its inherent relevance in the sense of emergency that today surrounds both book studies and the paper book. Furthermore, it covers a less explored niche, as it refers only in passing to artists’ books. This paper wishes to shed light on the alternative life of the printed books – forgotten, discarded, abandoned – and, ultimately, to prove that contemporary book art is mostly a product of the insecurities of the digital medium. In focusing on the visual and intellectual reinterpretation of the book, it will ultimately reflects upon the future of the book this age of digital uncertainty.Show less
