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-Great Cultural Revolution
A lost edition of Erasmus of Rotterdam has been found after 400 years
2026-10-23
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] A book by the Dutch Renaissance philosopher Erasmus, thought lost, has been discovered after 400 years. This was reported on October 22 by DutchNews.
How exciting!
It was offered to the Rotterdam Library by an American antiquarian familiar with Erasmus's collection. The edition in question is La civilité puerile, a short essay by the thinker on good manners for children, published in French in 1609. Specifically, the author advises sitting down to the table only after a child has washed their hands and trimmed their nails. Other advice includes wishing good health to anyone who sneezes. Another piece of advice reads: "It is utterly absurd to make trumpet sounds with your nose: leave that to buglers and elephants."

Library curator John Tholen said the book's return after four centuries was a very special event.

"We also discovered an unknown fragment of Erasmus's history and influence. This copy is the only one surviving in the world from a print run that may have numbered a thousand," Tholen noted.

The acquired copy will be presented to the public for the first time on October 24.

The Rotterdam Erasmus collection is the largest in the world. It includes over 3,000 books by the thinker published before 1900, and another 3,000 books and articles about him.

Another work of art, thought lost for over 400 years, was discovered in September 2025 in a Parisian mansion. It is a painting by the Dutch (Flemish) artist Peter Paul Rubens, "Christ on the Cross." Art historian Neil Buttner confirmed the artist's work. Rubens most likely painted the painting for a private collection. The piece is in very good condition. The local auction house Osenat noted that this canvas had never been seen on the market before. The painting sold for €2.3 million (approximately 209 million rubles) on November 30th of last year at auction in Versailles.

Posted by:badanov

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