Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
schedé 1898, vol. 1, pp. 209-13; Coffeng 1994).
19
Still, this was not yet
the end of Kruseman's science popularization efforts. In particular be-
tween 1853 and 1856, stimulated by the success of his magazine, he
started publishing the
Practische volks-almanak
(1853-1862), an annual
for the diffusion of “knowledge of the applied sciences among all social
classes”, and inexpensive magazines and book series for workers, farm-
ers, and industrialists (Enschedé 1898, vol. 1, pp. 254-9, 264-6, 307-13,
320-9; Simons 1915, pp. 18-9; Van Lente & De Wit 1993, pp. 269-70;
Hemels & Vegt 1993, pp. 154-5). These series included popular booklets
on chemistry, but despite their moderate price (30 to 60 cents) the series
was short-lived; probably, because Kruseman's competitors became
more active in the same market and because, in terms of their content,
Kruseman's topics tended to be too popular for manufacturers and too
difficult for workers (Enschedé 1898, vol. 1, p. 254).
20
By 1857 Kruse-
man in fact discontinued his activities in this area. He changed some of
his popular science journals into family magazines and sold the others
(Enschedé 1898, vol. 1, pp. 212, 258, 308-10, 325-6).
The publisher A.W. Sijthoff managed to have more lasting success.
After having entered Kruseman's market in 1855 with his
Geïllustreerde
almanak
(1855-65), which was supposed to compete with the
Practische
volks-almanak
, in 1857 he began the popular science journal
Geïllus-
treerde familie-bibliotheek tot verspreiding van nuttige kennis
('Illus-
trated family library for the diffusion of useful knowledge'). Strictly
speaking this serial publication, which appeared in issues of 35 cents
each, was no periodical, but a string of translated and adapted popular
science topics. For this series the enterprising publisher from Leiden had
signed a contract with the German publisher Otto Spamer, who also sup-
plied him with the indispensable plates for the illustrations. The quality
of illustrations greatly influenced a series' commercial viability and Si-
jthoff had a nose for such details. With a circulation of 2,000, the
Boek
der uitvindingen
('Book of Inventions'), which comprised the first 48 is-
19
Chemistry topics first played a modest role in the
Album
. This changed only after the
Amsterdam chemistry teacher G. Doyer van Cleeff joined the editorial board in 1886;
see
Chemisch Weekblad
,
13
(1916), 856-8.
20
Examples of chemistry related works are Liebig 1855, Von Baumhauer 1855, Van
Moorsel 1855a, Gunning 1857. For prices, see Van der Meulen 1876, p. 107.
