Albertus Willem Sijthoff
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Albertus Willem Sijthoff (30 June 1829 – 29 July 1913) was a prominent
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
publisher from
Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...
, Netherlands.


Early life

Sijthoff was born in 1829 to an established family in Leiden. He was educated at the Stedelijk Gymnasium in Leiden, which had established a reputation as the "city of books." His father was a prominent baker who died in 1843.


Publishing work

Sijthoff worked in the book and newspaper printing office of J.G. La Lau, and the
Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
bookselling firm of K. Fuhri. After working in Paris as a resident typographist, Sijthhoff first spoke to colleagues about starting his own printing business on October 20, 1850. The A.W. Sijthoff company was established in
Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...
in 1851. Sijthoff rose to prominence in the trade of translated books. He wrote a letter, dated November 12, 1899, to Queen
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, making her the longest- ...
regarding his opposition to the petition to become a signatory to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. He felt that the international copyright restrictions would stifle the publishing industry in the Netherlands. Sijthoff was a member of the
Society of Dutch Literature The Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde (, , often abbreviated ''MNL'') is a prestigious and exclusive literary society. The MNL was established in Leiden in 1766 and is still located there. At the moment, the society has approximately 1,6 ...
. He was knighted in the
Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...
, the
Order of the Oak Crown The Order of the Oak Crown (, , ) is an order (honour), order of the Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. History The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by William II of the Netherlands, Grand Duke William II, who was also King o ...
and the
Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...
.


Retirement and legacy

Sijthoff spent his retirement at
Villa Waldberta Villa Waldberta Artists Residence () is a historic estate in Feldafing, Bavaria, Germany. The villa, along with Ebenböckhaus in Pasing, accommodates the city of Munich's Artist-in-Residence program. Villa Waldberta was completed in 1902 in the ...
, an estate in
Feldafing Feldafing () is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in Starnberg (district), Starnberg district, Bavaria, Germany, and is located on the west shore of Lake Starnberg, southwest of Munich. History The history of Feldafing begins on the Ros ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
which he acquired from
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
banker Bernhard Schuler in 1903. Previously called Villa Felsenheim, Sijthoff renamed it after himself and his wife Waldina. Sijthoff lived there until his death in 1913. Willi Daume, president of the
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
organizing committee of the
1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...
occupied the villa from 1968 to 1974. His son Albert Georg Sijthoff continued in his father's footsteps, taking over as publisher of the ''
Haagsche Courant 250px, The former headquarters of the Haagsche Courant in Rijswijk The ''Haagsche Courant'' operated as an independent newspaper between 1864 and 2005 in The Hague and its suburbs. After it was acquired by the Algemeen Dagblad (AD) it is now p ...
''. The Sijthoff Planetarium in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
was named in his son's honor in 1934, as well as the asteroid 3201 Sijthoff, which was discovered in 1960. The family's publishing company continues to operate today as
Luitingh-Sijthoff Veen Bosch & Keuning (VBK) is a Dutch publishing group of fiction and nonfiction books that is active also in Belgium. It operates through multiple units. Its headquarters are located in Utrecht. The company is a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster. H ...
.


See also

* Sijthoff


References


External links


The printer-publisher A.W. Sijthoff (1829-1913)
in the Digital library for Dutch literature (in Dutch)
English translation

A.W. Sijthoff's enterprise of the Codices graeci et latini photographice depicti duce Bibliothecae Universitatis leidensis praefecto
at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

Letter Collection
of the
University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant institution, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Neth ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sijthoff, Albertus Willem 1829 births 1913 deaths Dutch publishers (people) Knights of the Order of the Polar Star People from Leiden Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau