Elsevier Launches Online Catalogue of Two Thousand 16 - 18th Century Books from the Original Elzevier Publishing House

New York – Elsevier announced today the launch of an online catalogue of the Elsevier Heritage Collection, comprising over 2,000 rare books with more than 1,000 distinct titles published by the original Elzevier publishing house from 1580 to 1712. Based in the Netherlands and closely tied to the University of Leiden, the original company published groundbreaking work from contemporary scholars including Descartes, Huygens and Galileo. Elsevier, the modern publisher was named after the original firm when it was founded in 1880 as a tribute to the publishing achievements of the Elzeviers.

The online short title scholarly catalogue was created with the expertise of curatorial consultant and digital librarian Donna Sy. Nearly 2,000 documentary photographs will accompany the online catalogue, illustrating the beauty and fine craftsmanship of many of the book bindings in the collection.

”It’s been a privilege to work with the Elsevier Heritage Collection. When we first created a catalog for local use in 2009, our hope was that we would eventually be able to bring it online, and that day has finally come. Since every book in the Collection is in many aspects unique, I hope that the online catalog will serve as a starting point for scholars to make exciting new discoveries in the Collection.”

“As the stewards of the Elsevier Heritage Collection, it is our obligation—and pleasure — to ensure that the Collection can be fully appreciated and readily accessible for scholars to research. The Collection represents a tangible connection to a great publishing past and reminds us of the partnerships forged by publishers with the great minds of the Renaissance,” said David Ruth, Senior Vice President of Global Communications.


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Notes to Editors
Please contact y.schemm@elsevier.com to arrange an interview with Donna Sy or David Ruth. Donna Sy has been working with the Elsevier Heritage Collection since 2007 as a cataloger and digital curator. She holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences and an A.B. in Classics from Stanford University, an M.A. in Latin from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.A. in History from Princeton University.

About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier’s online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai’s Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).