Students, Scholars and Their Books at the University of Louvain (1425-1797)

Studium Lovaniense: Learning across Borders, 1

edited by Violet Soen, Wouter Druwe, Wim Francois and Ralph Dekoninck

Book cover: Students, Scholars and Their Books at the University of Louvain (1425-1797)

Extent: 460 pages

Publisher: Brepols Publishers

Subjects: Book History, Conservation, & Museum Studies, Early Modern & Renaissance Studies, Social Sciences 

Series: Lectio

Series volume number: 17

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(February 2026)

ISBN: 9782503618173

Price: $150.00

In stock

This volume offers new insights into the hybrid world of oral teaching, handwritten note-taking, and printed textbook production by students, scholars and printers at Europe’s crossroads


Integrating prosopographical, cartographical, and book-historical data, this collective volume on the first University of Louvain (1425-1797) contributes to ongoing interdisciplinary inquiries into the intellectual productions of students, scholars, and printers in the Early Modern era. The ten contributions examine the state of the art at the University of Louvain, whose output was supported by the vibrant printing presses of the Low Countries and the continual mobility of its scholars across continental Europe. The essays first unravel the transregional circuits of Louvain’s students, scholars, and printers, built upon their geographical mobility throughout Europe. The second part explores how early modern students at Louvain created their study materials by compiling lecture notes, rearranging the contents, and binding them into codices, often adorned with drawings or printed engravings – a practice that remained prevalent until the eighteenth century. Further contributions trace the introduction of the handpress to the city of Louvain, which, beginning in 1473, brought new opportunities for producing textbooks for broader markets, as typography and physical features transformed handbook production. Louvain’s publication network was especially dense in the sixteenth century, and publication rates remained high through the eighteenth century. This volume offers new insights into the hybrid world of oral teaching, handwritten note-taking, and printed textbook production by students, scholars, and printers at one of Europe’s intellectual crossroads.

  • Edited by Ralph Dekoninck
  • Edited by Wouter Druwe
  • Edited by Wim Francois
  • Edited by Violet Soen