In 1609, the renowned scholar Joseph Scaliger (1540-1609) bequeathed ‘all my books in foreign tongues’ to the library of Leiden University. Scaliger's gift marked the foundation of the extensive Oriental collections in Leiden. How and why did Scaliger collect these rare and precious books? The books and manuscripts, printed and written in Hebrew, Arabic, Ethiopian, Armenian, Russian, and other non-western languages, were kept separate from the rest of the collection of Leiden University Library in an ornamental cupboard: the Arca Scaligerana. This study offers the first systematic exploration of the printed books in Scaliger’s bequest. The books remain extant in Leiden University Library, albeit spread across the collection. By reconstructing the collection, we gain a deeper understanding of Scaliger's extensive scholarly network, the development of oriental philology, the early modern book trade, and the early modern use of catalogues and the development of libraries.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Translator's Note List of Figures and Tables The Oriental Bequest of Joseph Scaliger and the University Library of Leiden Introduction  1 New Research on Scaliger’s Bequest  2 The Importance of Oriental Books in Early Modern Europe  3 The First Contemporary Description of the Bequest  4 The Project 1 A Life in Two Parts: Scaliger and His Collection before and after 1593  1 Scaliger’s Move to Leiden  2 Push and Pull Factors  3 Leiden University and the Study of Hebrew  4 Correspondence and the Republic of Letters  5 The Printing House of Plantin and Raphelengius in Leiden  6 The Importance of Good Books and Good Libraries 2 Scaliger as Scholar and Collector in France, 1552–1593  1 Scaliger the Philologist: Learning Greek and Oriental Languages  2 Postel’s Influence on Scaliger  3 Paris: Scaliger’s First Hebrew Books  4 The Production and Sale of Oriental Books  5 Scaliger’s Journey to Italy with Chasteigner de la Roche-Posay  6 The Influence of Cujas on Scaliger  7 Refuge in Geneva  8 Touraine: Exile without a Library  9 A Fragmented Library  10 Mastering Arabic  11 Multilingual Ambitions 3 Supplying Scaliger with Books  1 The Context of Scaliger’s French Network  2 De Thou and the Bibliothèque Royale  3 Claude Dupuy as Supplier of Oriental Books  4 Dupuy and Pinelli  5 A Fellow Protestant in Paris: Pierre Pithou  6 Guy Lefèvre de la Boderie and Other Suppliers of Books  7 Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc and the Samaritan Language  8 Scaliger and Mitalerius  9 Books from Jean Hurault de Boistaillé’s Library in Scaliger’s Bequest 4 Scaliger in Leiden, 1593–1609  1 Transporting Scaliger’s Books to Leiden  2 Scaliger’s ‘Oriental Catalogue’ of ca. 1600  3 Books Left Behind in France  4 Scaliger’s Network in Leiden  5 New Contacts in the Leiden Network: Casaubon, Bongars and Commelin  6 The Operation of a Trade Network in Practice  7 Scaliger and Daniël van der Meulen  8 Supplying Arabic Books: Chasteigner in Rome and the Tipographia Medicea Orientale  9 Gifts from around Europe  10 The Brothers Labbaeus, Fellow Bibliophiles  11 Scaliger’s Books in Rare Exotic Languages, from Slavic to Chinese 5 Expanding the University Library: a Will, a Bequest and an Auction Catalogue  1 The University Library of Leiden before Scaliger’s Arrival  2 The Oriental Books of the Court of Holland  3 Scaliger’s Death  4 Scaliger’s Will  5 The Auction Catalogue of 1609  6 Scaliger’s Oriental Bequest  7 Heinsius and the Arca Scaligerana  8 The Placement of the Arca Scaligerana in Leiden University Library  9 The Legacy of Scaliger’s Bequest 6 Scaliger’s Bequest in the Leiden University Library Catalogues  1 The Catalogue of Vulcanius  2 Library Catalogues before 1612  3 Cataloguing Scaliger’s Bequest: the Printed Library Catalogue of 1612  4 The Catalogue of 1623  5 The Catalogue of 1640  6 The Catalogue of 1674  7 The Catalogue of 1716  8 Conclusion 7 Oriental Collecting in Context  1 Private Collecting in the Early Dutch Republic and Its Neighbours  2 Oriental Books in Sixteenth-Century Scholarly Libraries  3 Oriental Collections outside the Dutch Republic  4 Burnett’s Canon  5 The Auction Catalogue of Johannes Drusius Senior (1616)  6 The Auction Catalogue of Franciscus (I) Raphelengius (1626)  7 Isaac Casaubon’s Oriental Books  8 Portaleone’s Library  9 Thomas Bodley’s Oriental Collection  10 Conclusion Conclusion  1 A Properly Functioning Network  2 From France to Leiden  3 Comparison with Other Collections  4 The Fate of the Bequest and the Arca Scaligerana  5 The Reconstruction of Scaliger’s Bequest Appendix 1: List of Books in Scaliger’s Library, 1600 or later 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 Bibliography Index