'All my books in foreign tongues': the Oriental bequest of Joseph Scaliger and the University Library of Leiden

Abstract

"In 1609 Joseph Scaliger bequeathed 'all my books in foreign tongues' to the library of Leiden University. The collection was kept in the Arca Scaligerana, an ornamental cupboard in the library. This publication provides a complete overview of all Scaliger' printed books in oriental languages for the first time. How and why did Scaliger collect these rare books? Answers can be found in Scaliger's extensive network, the develoment of oriental scholarship, the booktrade and the use of libraries. Includes the catalogue J.J. Scaliger's Oriental Printed Books: A Bibliographic Survey"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents

Part 1. Scaliger: Life, Books and Legacy -- Introduction -- A Life in Two Parts: Scaliger and His Collection before and after 1593 -- Scaliger as Scholar and Collector in France, 1552-1593 -- Supplying Scaliger with Books -- Scaliger in Leiden, 1593-1609 -- Expanding the University Library: a Will, a Bequest, and an Auction Catalogue -- Scaliger's Bequest in the Leiden University Library Catalogues -- Oriental Collecting in Context -- Conclusion -- Appendix 1. List of Books in Scaliger's Library, around 1593 -- Appendix 2. List Compiled by Janus Dousa in August 1594 Containing the Libri Haebraici, Chaldaici et Arabici from the Library of the Court of Holland -- Appendix 3. The List of Oriental Books and Manuscripts from Scaliger's Library Compiled by Bonaventura Vulcanius -- Appendix 4. Section of Scaliger's Bequest in Daniel Heinsius, Catalogus librorum Bibliothecæ Lugdunensis (Leiden: s.n., 1612), with the current shelf marks of the printed books and manuscripts in Leiden University Libraries -- Appendix 5. List of Arabic Sources in Scaliger's Library in 1608 -- Part 2. Catalogue.