Preface

Abstract

In the spring of 2013 thirteen motivated bachelor students of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences got the opportunity to study early travel books within the framework of a MaRBLeproject and an Honours programme. The travel books were selected from the ‘Jesuits Collection’ in the University Library. This collection includes many lavishly illustrated travel books, most of which date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In this project we focussed, rather pragmatically, on North-America, Japan and China. The travel books bear witness of the broad interests and the highly international orientation of the Jesuits. The books do not only address Catholic missionary zeal, but deal also with trade missions and scientific expeditions. The international mindset of the Jesuits agrees well, it seems, with that of the international student population at Maastricht. Most of the students taking part in the project come from abroad and study Arts and Culture or European Studies.