Get ready for knowledge people, Dan Brown has funded the digitalization process of 3,500 books written before 1900 on alchemy, Kabbalah, Rosicrucianism, astrology, magic and theosophy, among them the Corpus Hermeticum (1472), source of wisdom attributed to Hermes Trismegisto; Spaccio of the trionfante beast (1584) of Giordano Bruno; and the first printed version of the Tree of Life (1516).

Dan Brown, the famous author of ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ ‘Angels & Demons,’ ‘Inferno’ and ‘Origin’ has donated 300 thousand euros to the Ritman Library in Amsterdam (or Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, House of Living Books) for the digitalization of 3,500 books written before 1900 on alchemy, kabbalah, rosicrucianism, astrology, magic and theosophy, among them the Corpus Hermeticum ( 1472), source of wisdom attributed to Hermes Trismegisto; Spaccio of the trionfante beast (1584) of Giordano Bruno; and the first printed version of the Tree of Life (1516).

This is how the writer paid honor to the library, which he visited on several occasions as he was doing research for a couple of his best sellers.

Thanks to Brown’s donation, it is now possible to download a free 44-page guide to the collection and watch the video that explains how the books are transported, digitized and uploaded.

Furthermore, a documentary has been made available that talks about the library which was founded by entrepreneur Joost R. Ritman in 1984, and which houses more than 20 thousand books on mysticism, spirituality, religion, alchemy, and Gnosticism, among others.

A great leap into the digitalization of occult manuscripts

The initiative supported by Mr. Brown opens thousands of pages of original sources to a new generation of academics and interested people, who will be able to access, for example, the first translation into English of the works of the 17th-century German theologian and mystic, Jakob Böhme (1575-1624).

Decades of prejudice turned the eyes of generations of scholars, who despised esoteric literature as another source to know the development, evolution, and influence of contemporary thought. Only a few decades ago this material is recognized as an important part of the culture, as well as scientific or industrial revolutions.

Brown “is a great admirer of the library and visited on several occasions while writing his novels The Lost Symbol and Inferno.”

Now he wants to share the knowledge he gained with the entire world, and not allowing it to be held by a small number of people.

Much of the donation comes out of the revenue generated by his bestselling novels, and an additional €15,000 contribution comes from the Dutch Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. These donations will allow the library’s core collection, “some 3,500 ancient books,” to come online soon in an archive that they are planning to call “Hermetically Open,” explains Open Culture.

You can follow the digitization process on social networks such as YouTube, FB, Instagram, and the library’s website which you can visit here.

Website from Dan Brown: www.danbrown.com