The Rotterdamsch Leeskabinet (RLK) and the University Library (UL) hold an extensive collection of writings and studies by and on the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704). The collection was partly donated by a private individual.
John Locke was a philosopher, economist and physician during the Enlightenment period. He lived in Rotterdam for three years between 1686 and 1689. Here he completed his masterpiece An essay concerning human understanding, which he had been working on since 1671. It was published in London in 1689. During his period in Rotterdam, Locke chaired De Lantaarn (The Lantern), the eclectic society of international intellectuals who met in the house of the same name belonging to Benjamin Furly (1636-1714). At the end of the seventeenth century, Rotterdam was briefly a stronghold of intellectual activity and book production in the Netherlands. The influential French Enlightenment philosopher Pierre Bayle (1647-1706) also lived and worked in the city during this period.
The thematic collection contains all of Locke's major writings, in early and later scholarly editions and in various languages. In addition, the collection is rich in studies on the ideas of the Enlightenment philosopher.