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New initiatives in book history in the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR)

Jan Pauwels

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1The Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) has a long-standing tradition in book history. Numerous studies, inventories, repertories, and bibliographies have emerged over the past decades. During the budgetary heyday of the 1960s and 1970s, a 'National Center for the Archaeology and History of the Book' was established on top of the regular research activities of the library, with a large staff dedicated full-time to studying rare books and manuscripts and promoting the collections through varied public outreach activities.

2These efforts have resulted in a series of seminal works on the printed book in Belgium: the two volumes on the Bibliographie des impressions espagnoles des Pays-Bas méridionaux by Jean Peeters-Fontainas (1965), the four-volume retrospective national bibliography of sixteenth-century book production Belgica Typographica by Elly Cockx-Indestege, Geneviève Glorieux, and Bart Op de Beeck (1965-1994), the Dictionnaire des imprimeurs, libraires et éditeurs des XVe et XVIe siècles dans les limites géographiques de la Belgique actuelle by Anne Rouzet (1975), the six volumes of the Répertoire des catalogues de ventes de livres imprimés by Jeanne Blogie (1982-2006, with supplements in 2017), and finally, the Drukkersmerken uit de 15de en de 16de eeuw binnen de grenzen van het huidige België by Frank Vandeweghe and Bart Op de Beeck (1992).

3In the field of manuscripts, several notable publications have also been realized: 6 volumes devoted to the Manuscrits datés in KBR and other Belgian libraries by François Masai and Martin Wittek (1968-1990), the Inventaire des plus anciens manuscrits de papier conservés à la Bibliothèque royale Albert Ier et de leurs filigranes (XIIIe-XIVe siècles) by Martin Wittek (2001) and the four volumes of the Inventaire des manuscrits de papier du XVe siècle conservés à la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique et de leurs filigranes by the same author (2003-2006), the fifteen volumes of Jan Deschamps and Herman Mulder, Inventaris van de Middelnederlandse handschriften van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België (1998-2013), which covers a significant portion of the KBR collection in Middle Dutch. Lastly, the unfinished series Librairie des ducs de Bourgogne (2001-2015) is nearing its completion with the addition of two more volumes. In 2025, the last batch of 80 KBR-manuscripts once owned by the famous Dukes of Burgundy will be described in depth according to the usual schedule, while a final volume will discuss the 125+ manuscripts from their library scattered around the world and publish indices to the entire series.

4Moreover, many authoritative exhibition catalogs were produced on the occasion of commemorations such as five hundred years of printing in Belgium (Le cinquième centenaire de l'imprimerie dans les Anciens Pays-Bas, 1973) or the country's 175 years of independence (Cent trésors, 2005). These catalogs reflect the acquisition policy during a particular period (Quinze années d'acquisitions, 1954-1968; Cinq années d'acquisitions, 1969-1973; Cinq années d'acquisitions, 1974-1978), and the occasion of important donations (Collection Voltairienne du comte de Launoit, 1955; La donation de Madame Louis Solvay, 1966-1967; La donation du baron van Bogaert, 1992). They also elaborate on a particular well-represented theme in the KBR collections (Charles Van Hulthem, 1962; Les Seigneurs du Livre, 2008; Miniatures flamandes, 2011-2012).

5Unfortunately, the fiscal high season of book history within KBR is over, but much research is still being conducted by both external researchers and internal staff. In recent years, many publications have been realized in the areas of Middle Dutch manuscripts, classical languages and humanism, and book collecting in the Southern Netherlands, whether or not in the margins of thematic displays in the KBR Museum. These individual contributions easily find their way into the academic arena, but changing budgetary circumstances call for a different approach to continue the collective work. Because of its central location in the country and the capital, KBR is a suitable venue for hosting external book history events. In February 2023, the Mmmonk project organized a closing event at KBR, focusing mainly on manuscripts and the use of International Image Interoperability Framework1 (IIIF). Mmmonk was a collaborative project of the Public Library of Bruges, Ghent University Library, Diocese of Ghent, and Major Seminary Ten Duinen in Bruges. The aim was to improve digital access to over 800 medieval manuscripts from four abbeys in Ghent and Bruges (some 9 of them in KBR). Team members presented the results of the project, and their presentation led to a session on IIIF implementation in data management and research. For a full report of the event, see Evelien Hauwaerts in In Monte Artium 2023.

6To make the existing research efforts on the own KBR collection more visible to the outside world and to highlight its possibilities to potential researchers, an afternoon of Book History @ KBR was organized in September 2023. This initiative had no international pretensions, no big names as keynote speakers, no large budgets, no call for papers, and no prestigious publication. However, it featured a group of well-known professional speakers who reported on their 'work in progress' in 30-minute sessions and engaged in debates with an audience of over 50 participants.

7Seven speakers covered the full spectrum, from precious 12th-century manuscripts to cheap, popular publications of the present day. This is related to a new ambition after the merger of the rare book and manuscript departments in KBR: to write the integrated history of the book from the year 694—the oldest datable manuscript in the collection—to contemporary bibliophile editions and book objects, which enter our collection through legal deposit and acquisition. Topics and speakers included:

  • ‘Medieval manuscripts from the Cistercian Abbey of Aulne in KBR’ by Lucien Reynhout

  • ‘The making of the choirbook for Philip the Fair and Juana of Castile (ms 9126)’ by Brett Kostrzewski

  • ‘Reprinting Italian music in Antwerp: the Phalesius collections of madrigals and their readers’ by Antonio Chemotti

  • ‘Digitization of 17th-18th-century Brussels imprints: the example/contribution of ordinances’ by Laurence Meunier

  • ‘A Library without a History: the Bibliothèque royale des ducs de Bourgogne, 1831-1838’ by Jan Pauwels

  • ‘No books without presses: the KBR collection as a textbook example of innovation in the 19th century’ by Patrick Goossens

  • ‘Popular Print Culture Unbound? Cheap Publications and Material Preservation at KBR’ by Benoît Crucifix

8In the area of exhibitions and viewings, one can also cut necessary corners. In December 2023 and January 2024, KBR presented a pop-up exhibition that offered a unique look at the first printed books in Belgium. In 1473, the art of printing was introduced in Belgium by Thierry Martens and John of Westphalia in the small town of Alost. Within two years, printing presses were set up in Bruges, Louvain and Brussels. During a one-hour viewing, ten groups from the general public and four groups of professional interested parties were given a specialist introduction to incunabula by Pierre Delsaerdt (University of Antwerp), Heleen Wyffels (Flemish Heritage Libraries), and Jan Pauwels (KBR). Under the guidance of KBR staff, an unobstructed and interactive viewing was offered of the 20 first printed books in Belgium, spread out on the tables.

9This low-profile approach was repeated in the year 2024 with the hosting of an external event, the organization of a seminar, and a pop-up initiative. For two years, the Flemish Heritage Libraries had been busy working with collection managers to map as much Flemish printing as possible before 1501. For the project 'IMPRESSVM. The Cradle of Flemish Printing', they developed a new description model specifically focused on incunabula. With this, they visited their project partners, including KBR, in order to register their collections. The collected data were made available to the heritage community in an open and sustainable way through the Short Title Catalog Vlaanderen (STCV) database, increasing the international visibility of this unique heritage from the Southern Netherlands. During the closing event at KBR in May 2024, the database was presented, the main results of the project were explained, and a “show & tell” of incunabula from KBR's collection took place for the public.

10Another afternoon of Book History @ KBR was organized in September 2024, once again devoted to manuscripts and rare books, ranging from the 14th to the 19th century, both the most expensive and exclusive copies, as well as news magazines and other periodicals intended to be thrown away after reading. Seven speakers covered a piece, title, or dimension of the KBR collection for an audience of just under one hundred people:

  • ‘In Search of Manuscripts and Early Printed Books from the Rouge-Cloître Priory (14th-16th Centuries)’ by Matthieu Pignot

  • ‘Between Detail and Overview: Reflections on IMPRESSVM, a New Research Tool for Incunabula of the Southern Netherlands’ by Heleen Wyffels (Flemish Heritage Libraries)

  • ‘Some Types of Jesuit Manuscripts Preserved at KBR: The Life and Unpublished Work of Father Michael Craesbeeck (1564-1630)’ by Nathaël Istasse

  • ‘What the Numbers Tell: Seriality, Periodicity, and Missing Pieces in KBR’s Run of the Nieuwe Tijdinghen’ by Paul Arblaster

  • ‘False Printer's Addresses in Pamphlets of the Brabant Revolution (1789-1792)’ by Pierre Delsaerdt

  • ‘Typo Belgiëque: 19th-Century Belgian Typefaces at KBR’s Museum of Printing’ by Jo De Baerdemaeker

  • ‘A Universe of Paper: Printed Matter Depicted in the Satirical Magazine La Bombe (1878-1887)’ by Brecht Deseure

11A new pop-up exhibition was organized in November and December 2024, this time open to any visitor at KBR: 'Mindfulness from the Middle Ages.' The concrete occasion was the 600th anniversary of the completion of Thomas a Kempis' masterpiece, De Imitatione Christi. The book has been a worldwide bestseller since 1424, in fact, the second most widely distributed and read book in the world after the Bible. The spiritual self-help book teaches through Bible quotes and wisdom from philosophers, church fathers, and mystics how to find deep inner peace and attempts to answer the universal question: how to live?

12Through historical circumstances and by purchasing collections in bulk, KBR cherishes more than 1,500 manuscripts and prints of the Imitatio Christi, including the autograph kept by Thomas à Kempis until his death, a collection that reflects nearly the entire history of printing. 120 remarkable pieces were on display, from the autograph and 15 other manuscripts, over 12 incunabula, to numerous translations, adaptations for different audiences, mini-books, artists' books, etc.

13In conclusion, KBR continues its tradition of research into the history of the book, but in a manner appropriate to the circumstances of the 21st century. Rather than lingering nostalgically in a past with different staff numbers, budgets, and target audiences, we seek to fulfill KBR’s legal missions in a contemporary way. In doing so, we seek to transcend the overly emphatic distinction between manuscript and rare book research, which was created primarily for institutional reasons. We also aim to broaden the far too exclusive focus on individual masterpieces to include all kinds of daily print or pulp publications. Finally, we are moving away from a set outreach recipe, replacing it with a mixture of high-brow exhibitions every few years (such as, for example, the history of science in 2026) and low-threshold pop-up initiatives or viewings for specific groups and occasions on a much more regular basis.

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Bibliography

Blogie, Jeanne. Répertoire des catalogues de ventes de livres imprimés, 6 vol. Brussels: Librairie F. Tulkens, 1982-2006.

Blogie, Jeanne. Répertoire des catalogues de ventes de livres imprimés : addenda aux tomes précédents : catalogues de toutes les époques acquis par la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique depuis 1981. Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, 2017.

Bousmanne, Bernard, Van Hemelryck, Tania, Van Hoorebeeck, Céline, et al. La Librairie des ducs de Bourgogne : Manuscrits conservés à la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, 4 vol. Brepols, Royal Library of Belgium, 2001-2015.

Bousmanne, Bernard, Delcourt, Thierry, Hans-Collas, Ilona, et al. Miniatures flamandes, 1404-1482 : [exposition, Bruxelles, Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, 30 septembre au 31 décembre 2011 ; Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, 6 mars au 10 juin 2012 : catalogue]. Brussels, Paris: Royal Library of Belgium, BnF, 2011.

Cockshaw, Pierre, Colin, George, Royal Library of Belgium. La donation du baron van Bogaert : choix de cent oeuvres : exposition organisée à la Bibliothèque royale Albert Ier, du 14 février au 28 mars 1992 : catalogue. Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, 1992.

Cockx-Indestege, Elly, Glorieux, Geneviève, Op de Beeck, Bart. Belgica typographica. 1541-1600. Catalogus librorum impressorum ab anno MDXLI ad annum MDC in regionibus quae nunc Regni Belgarum partes sunt. I : Bibliotheca Regia Bruxellensis, 4 vol. 1965-1994.

De Schepper, Marcus, Kelders, Ann, Pauwels, Jan, Lefèvre, Patrick, Royal Library of Belgium, et al. Les seigneurs du livre : les grands collectionneurs du XIXème siècle à la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique : 1 février - 23 août 2008. Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, 2008.

Delsaerdt, Pierre, Duvosquet, Jean-Marie, Simons, Ludo, et al. Cent trésors de la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique : [exposition, Bruxelles, Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, 22 avril - 30 juillet 2005]. Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, Mercatorfonds, 2005.

Deschamps, Jan, Mulder, Herman. Inventaris van de Middelnederlandse handschriften van de Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, 15 vol. Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, 1998-2013.

Hauwaerts, Evelien. Mmmonk: Digital Innovation and Public Outreach with Medieval Monastic Manuscripts”, In Monte Artium [online]. 2023, vol. 15. Available on: https://doi.org/10.4000/ima.367

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Masai, François, Wittek, Martin, Centre national de l'archéologie et de l'histoire du livre. Manuscrits datés conservés en Belgique, 6 vol. Story Scientia, 1968-1990.

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Renier, Madeleine, Royal Library of Belgium. Collection Voltairienne du comte de Launoit. Brussels: M. Weissenbruch, 1955.

Rouzet, Anne, Liebaers, Herman. Dictionnaire des imprimeurs, libraires et éditeurs des XVe et XVIe siècles dans les limites géographiques de la Belgique actuelle. Nieuwkoop: B. De Graag, 1975.

Royal Library of Belgium. La donation de Madame Louis Solvay : exposition organisée du 27 février au 10 avril 1965, Bibliothèque Albert Ier, Bruxelles : catalogue. Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, 1965.

Royal Library of Belgium, Liebaers, Herman. Le cinquième centenaire de l'imprimerie dans les Anciens Pays-Bas : exposition à la Bibliothèque royale Albert Ier, du 11 septembre au 27 octobre 1973 : catalogue. Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, 1973.

Royal Library of Belgium, Wittek, Martin. Cinq années d'acquisitions, 1969-1973 : exposition organisée à la Bibliothèque royale Albert Ier, Bruxelles, du 18 janvier au 1er mars 1975 : catalogue. Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, 1975.

Royal Library of Belgium, Wittek, Martin, Balis, Jan, Culot, Paul, et al. Cinq années d'acquisitions, 1974-1978 : exposition organisée à la Bibliothèque royale Albert Ier, Bruxelles, du 24 septembre au 31 octobre 1979 : catalogue. Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, 1979.

Vandeweghe, Frank, Op de Beeck, Bart. Drukkersmerken uit de 15de en de 16de eeuw binnen de grenzen van het huidige België. 1992.

Wittek, Martin. Inventaire des plus anciens manuscrits de papier conservés à la Bibliothèque royale Albert Ier et de leurs filigranes (XIIIe-XIVe siècles). Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, 2001.

Wittek, Martin, Cockshaw, Pierre. Inventaire des manuscrits de papier du XVe siècle conservés à la Bibliothèque royale de Belgique et de leurs filigranes, 5 vol. Brussels: Royal Library of Belgium, 2003-2006.

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Notes

1 Set of open standards, see https://iiif.io/.

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References

Electronic reference

Jan Pauwels, New initiatives in book history in the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR)In Monte Artium [Online], 16 | 2025, Online since 01 October 2025, connection on 21 January 2026. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/ima/1181; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/14z64

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About the author

Jan Pauwels

Jan Pauwels holds a doctorate in Dutch language and literature and is curator of manuscripts and rare books at the Royal Library of Belgium.

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The text only may be used under licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. All other elements (illustrations, imported files) may be subject to specific use terms.

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