Japan in the late 17th century was regarded by Europeans as a mysterious land visited by the occasional missionary. For 50 years it had been closed to foreigners and only traded with the West through the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Nederlandsche Oost Indische Compagnie  or VOC) factory located on an artificially created  island off … Read more

This article follows on from the talk I gave back in March 2018 and then the descriptions of two further books on Botanic Illustrations that were emailed out to proprietors on 4th March. Both of today’s books have been written by 17th century Englishmen. The first is by the plant anatomist and physiologist known as … Read more

This article follows on from the talk I gave back in March 2018, based on a random selection of the wonderful botanical illustrations to be found in our library. Here are two more illustrated books that I researched back in 2019.  The first is a 17th century translation of the works of a highly influential … Read more

Every Monday we profile one of our Members. This week in we are joined by Proprietor 162, Jutta Hesketh! The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of The Athenaeum. Who are you ? I am Jutta Hesketh, my father was a Dental Surgeon who … Read more