NE2V13003 Dutch Literature III: The Middle Ages: Finding manuscripts and printed books

A. Identify the fragment by searching in Google, using part of the text visible on the fragment and create a Zotero entry of it.

B. Find out the surviving copies of your text. Create a Zotero entry for every copy, by selecting ‘Manuscript’ (even if your surviving copy is printed book). Fill in the following fields:

1) Title
2) Author
3) Date
4) Archive
5) Location in Archive

6) Extra

- if you have a manuscript: exact place in book (not in pages, but in leaves, ‘folios’)

- if you have a printed book: printer and place of print

For example:

1) Title: for example ->Lanceloet en het hert met de witte voet
2) Author: unknown
3) Date: Second half of the 13^th century
4) Archive: Den Haag, Koninklijke Bibliotheek
5) Location in Archive: 129 A 10

6) Extra: exact place in book: fol. 188r-190r/printer: Geraert Leeu, Gouda

C. Find out if the surviving copies are digitised, and if so: add them (copy of PDF of link) in Zotero.

When you are searching for manuscripts and early prints of Middle Dutch texts you should consult several search engines and reference material, because:

- An increasing number of texts is digitised, but not everything is digitally available

- Indexes, catalogues and bibliographies provide an overview of relevant sources, but do not always provide access

- Major search engines like WorldCat and Google are not fully equipped to deal with the specific search strategy (searching for provenance, printer etc.) that is needed

Conclusion: combine reference material and search engines, they complement one another

Copies of a Middle Dutch manuscripts and prints are being kept in libraries throughout the world. You can find them by searching in catalogues with information on manuscripts and printed books in Middle Dutch. Keep in mind: Catalogues often only describe manuscripts and/or printed books, they do not always provide access to the digitized copy of the manuscript/printed books.

I have a manuscript

Search in Bibliotheca Neerlandica Manuscipta & Impressa (BNM-I) or the ebook J. Deschamps, Middelnederlandse handschriften uit Europese en Amerikaanse bibliotheken, 1972.

I have a printed book

Search in Incunabula short title Catalogue (printed books until 1501), or Short Title Catalogue Netherlands (STCN)

Type in Google:

site:bnm-I.huygens.knaw.nl “title of Middle Dutch text”, or

site:dbnl.nl “Middelnederlandse handschriften uit Europese en Amerikaanse bibliotheken” AND “title of Middle Dutch text”

Find a modern edition of your Middle Dutch text and check the introduction for information on surviving copies

Browse the Digitized Medieval Manuscript app or sites of the libraries who own the copy, such as university libraries of Utrecht, Amsterdam, Nijmegen or national libraries in The Hague, Paris and London. They often have their collection digitised.

Example

The Royal Library in The Hague owns the only surviving copy of the manuscript containing the text Lancelot en het hert met de witte voet, see https://www.kb.nl/themas/middeleeuwen/lancelotcompilatie

Search in Google for the special collections of manuscripts and printed books in libraries, for example “Koninklijke Bibliotheek” “oude drukken”. You can also google with the reference of your manuscript or printed book.

Example

Google “Koninklijke Bibliotheek” AND “129 A 10” to find a digitised copy of The Hague, Royal Library, 129 A 10 (i.e. the manuscript containing the text Lancelot en het hert met de witte voet).

The early and rare printed works held by Utrecht University Library are for the larger part included in WorldCat. Here you can also search for collections from other libraries. There are several ways to search WorldCat for early and rare printed works:

• Enter search terms in the search bar of the start screen. A list with results (titles) appears. In the left hand column you can then select Book or Print Book at Format. For a digitised version you must choose 'Downloadable archival material', under 'Archival material' for the time being.
•  Do you want to know what early and rare printed works Utrecht University Library holds? At Library select 'Utrecht University Library'. Please take care that you have unticked the box  'Group related editions' (under 'Search Tools'). Now the search results will be limited to only the material available in Utrecht University Library. Do you want to have more information about a title? Click on the title and next on 'Description'. 
•  Do you want to know what is available in the Netherlands? At 'Library' select 'Libraries in The Netherlands'. If you want to know which particular library holds the publication, click on the title in question and next on 'Availability'. 
• Or choose the option 'Advanced Search' and limit the search results in the same way.

For advise on early prints in the UU collection consult the LibGuide Special Material or the website of Special Collections

In WorldCat you can search for the Utrecht manuscripts but also for manuscripts from other libraries. There are several ways to search for manuscripts in WorldCat:

• Enter search terms in the search bar on the first screen. A list with results (titles) appears. In the left column you find the filter options, for instance on year. Please note: in WorldCat manuscripts do not have their own "format": they have descriptions such as "print book" and in some cases "musical score"
• In the case of Utrecht manuscripts always enter the search terms UBU and hs in the search bar. You will get the Utrecht manuscripts by filtering on "Utrecht University Library".

For extensive advise on locating manuscripts in the UU collection consult the LibGuide Special Material.