Special collections
Artis Library
About the library
The library of the Royal Zoological Society “Natura Artis Magistra”, the present Artis Library, was founded in 1838. This library was housed in a building at Plantage Middenlaan, which was designed by the architect G.B. Salm in 1868 and is now, together with its 19th-century interior, listed as a historic monument. The original collection and its further extension was mainly the work of the first director of Artis, the Amsterdam bookseller, printer and publisher G.F. Westerman (1807-1890). In 1939 the library was transferred to the City of Amsterdam and thus became the property of the Universiteit van Amsterdam. The Artis Library is now part of the Special Collections of the University Library Amsterdam.
About the collection
The collection is of great importance as an extensive reference library for research in the field of zoology, such as: taxonomy, evolution, animal psychology, history, foundations and philosophy of biology. The collection is also important for practically all other scientific disciplines because of the presence of important general and interdisciplinary works (Aristotle, Buffon, Darwin, etc.) and for research in the history of the natural sciences (the evolution of scientific theories).
The year 1758, the year in which the 10th edition of Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae was published, is generally considered the starting point of zoological taxonomy. The library contains the second or third collection of Linnaeana in the world. Linnaeus often refers to still older works (e.g., Rumphius, Seba, Merian); these, too, as well as many other, both older and more recent, rare works are present. Material from the Artis Library is frequently used for exhibitions and publications in the Netherlands and abroad. A recent random test of the uniqueness of the books in the Artis Library showed that it contains 40% of unique titles in the Netherlands
The collection contains ca. 65,000 printed works, 80,000 engravings and broadsheets, 3,000 manuscripts and drawings and 100 paraphernalia.
Digital manuscripts on Photo CD
In collaboration with the Expert Centre for Taxonomic Identificatoin (ETI) some unique manuscripts and publications have been recorded on Photo CD. On of these cd’s is the so-called album of Miracles of Nature by Jan Velten. This unique manuscript of ca. 1700 has been part of the collection since the middle of the 19th century. The album is an amateurish strip cartoon of rare animals and curiosities which in those days could be seen publicly (for example, in the menagerie of Blauw Jan). It consists of ca. 200 drawings, water colours, gouaches and sketches. The manuscript was in such a deplorable condition that it was impossible to consult it without causing any further damage. With the help of grants, the album was completely conserved and restored in 1992/93.
Folios
During an inventory of the folios in the Artis Libary, a Dutch edition of Siebold’s opus magnum ‘Nippon’ was discovered. The folio is signed by Philipp. The Artis Library also holds his famous ‘Flora Japonica’ and the ‘Fauna Japonica’.
The link below is to an article which gives a brief survey of his life and voluminous scientific works, and thus hopes to keep the memory of Siebold alive as one of the most important scientists in the East.
Filing cabinets
Seventy-two filing cabinets in the Artis Library contain a collection of lithographs and early photographs of most families of the animal kingdom, including man. There are also various illistrated books and atlases from 1600 onwards, but mostly from the 19th century.
In the catalogue you will find a description of the collection. It can be searched by subject, title, author, description and classification code.