Books related to the design, planning, and construction of buildings and other physical structures. They concentrate on the art and technique of designing and building, with a focus on significant movements, styles, and architects.
The German Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680) is generally regarded as one of the last homines universalis. In the seventeenth century, Kircher wrote around forty books on subjects as diverse as medicine, geology, astronomy, music, technology, mathematics, biology, religion, linguistics and countries such as Egypt and China. This was usually a combination of his own research supplemented with information obtained through correspondence with more than seven hundred scientists, but also through his own interpretations, fantasies and the adoption of ideas and texts from the work of others. This collection contains more than twenty books by Kircher, including his research into the plague, his encyclopedia on China, treatises on the Tower of Babel and Noah's Ark, the subterranean world with explanations for the origin of volcanoes, and his book on the stars. Almost all books are published in folio format and provided with a huge amount of engravings by more than thirty illustrators.
Books on alchemy, a combination of philosophy and science that had both practical and mystical aspects, and chemistry, the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter.
Books printed from the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century (around 1450) until 1540. This collections contains one incunable and about a hundred post incunables.
Books related to the scientific study of humanity and description of peoples and cultures. Apart from a missiology collection, the Jesuit Library contains a striking number of travel books, amounting to tens of thousands of volumes. They reflect the broad intellectual range and international orientation of the Jesuits. Besides travel books, the library holds an extensive collection of travel guides and books related to tourism.
Studies of the earth and its features. These books contain geographic knowledge from the past shared with others in scientific and easily comprehensible ways.
This collection contains, in a large number of editions, the core of the Ius Commune, the received Roman law, which was taught as 'learned law' at almost all legal faculties in Europe from the thirteenth century onwards. In addition, this collection contains local and regional legal sources, including legal commentaries and proclamations, and monthly and weekly magazines.
Books related to literature and art, including the literary and visual heritage of Dutch and Limburg artists such as Pierre Kemp, Charles Eyck and Bernard Reith.
Books related to medicine including early modern prints of anatomical atlases. In addition to an anatomy collection, the library also includes surgical works and illustrated books on herbal medicine.
Books that encompass the study, planning, and execution of military operations. It involves the application of scientific and theoretical principles to military strategy, tactics, and logistics.
“Once Upon a Time” is a phrase that we know means our imaginations are about to be taken on an adventure. Fairy tales, myths, and legends often begin with these words, and what follows are fantastical, colourful, absurd tales filled with all sorts of people, animals, and otherworldly creatures. Writers across the Western world began collecting and transcribing local folklore during the 18th and early 19th centuries, and these collected works were hugely popular. In the last quarter of the 19th century, several social and technological advances led to a boom in illustrated volumes of these tales, in what would come to be known as “the Golden Age of Illustration”.
Books that study organisms, including animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms, in their natural environments. They encompass a broad range of topics, including taxonomy, ecology, evolution, behavior, and conservation. Historically, natural history was a discipline that combined elements of biology, geology, and astronomy, often involving field observations, collections, and the documentation of species and their habitats.
Books that focus on language, its structure, use, and historical development. While philology often focuses on historical texts and their contexts, linguistics tends to be more concerned with the structure and use of language in both contemporary and historical contexts.
Texts about broad range of topics that explore fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It is characterized by critical analysis, systematic approach, and a quest for understanding.
