Editing Brill Publishers

{{short description|Dutch international academic publisher}}
{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=ru|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Infobox publisher
| image        = Brill logo.png
| image_size   =
| parent       = De Gruyter Brill
| founded      = {{start date and age|1683}}
| founder      = Jordaan Luchtmans
| country      = Netherlands
| headquarters = [[Leiden]]
| distribution = Turpin Distribution<ref>[https://brill.com/page/Ordering-Trade/ordering Ordering from Brill]</ref>
| publications = [[Book]]s, [[academic journal]]s
| imprints     = Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, [[Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|Brill–Nijhoff]], Brill Hes & De Graaf, [[Rodopi (publisher)|Brill–Rodopi]], [[Wageningen Academic Publishers|Brill–Wageningen Academic]]
| numemployees = 
| url          = {{URL|https://brill.com/}}
}}
'''Brill Academic Publishers''' ({{Langx|nl|Koninklijke Brill NV}}) is a Dutch international [[academic publisher]] of books, [[academic journal]]s, and [[Bibliographic database|databases]] founded in 1683, making it one of the oldest publishing houses in the Netherlands. Founded in the [[South Holland]] city of [[Leiden]], it maintains its headquarters there, while also operating offices in [[Boston]], [[Paderborn]], [[Vienna]], [[Singapore]], and [[Beijing]]. Since 1896, Brill has been a [[public limited company]] ({{Langx|nl|[[naamloze vennootschap]]|link=no}}).

Brill is especially known for its work in subject areas such as [[Oriental studies]], [[classics]], [[religious studies]], [[Jewish studies]], [[Islamic studies]], [[Asian studies]], [[international law]], and [[human rights]]. The publisher offers traditional print books, academic journals, [[primary source]] materials online, and publications on microform. In recent decades,{{when?|date=March 2025}} Brill has expanded to [[Electronic publishing|digital publishing]] with [[ebook]]s and online resources including databases and specialty collections varying by discipline.
[[File:Portraits of the Family Luchtmans.jpg|thumb|A [[Lithography|lithograph]] of the Luchtmans family from around 1856.]]

In 2024, it merged its operations with those of the German publisher [[De Gruyter]] and formed De Gruyter Brill.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brill.com/page/company_abouthistory|title=About Brill & its History|work=Brill Academic Publishers|access-date=6 November 2025|language=en}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Founding by Luchtmans, 1683–1848 ===
[[File:Brill in Leiden.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Main office building of Brill, Leiden]]On 17 May 1683, the Leiden booksellers' [[guild]] registered Jordaan Luchtmans (1652–1708) as a bookseller. He combined his [[bookselling]] business with [[publishing]], primarily in [[biblical studies]], [[theology]], [[Languages of Asia|Asian languages]], and [[ethnography]]. He established close ties with the [[University of Leiden]],{{Sfn|van der Veen|2008|pp=12–13}} then a major center of study in those areas of research in the Netherlands. The business would stay in the Luchtmans family until 1848, when the last surviving heir preferred academia to academic publishing.{{Sfn|van der Veen|2008|p=10}}

===From Luchtmans to Brill, 1848–1896===
In 1848, the business transferred ownership from the Luchtmans family to former employee E.J. (Evert Jan) Brill. Brill's father, Johannes, had been the steward of the company for several decades after the founder's last direct descendant died.{{Sfn|van der Veen|2008|pp=9–10}} In order to cover the financial obligations that he inherited, Brill liquidated the entirety of the Luchtmans' book inventory in a series of auctions that took place between 1848 and 1850.{{sfn|van der Veen|2008|p=45}} Brill continued to publish in the traditional core areas of the company, with occasional excursions into other fields. Thus, in 1882, the firm brought out a two-volume ''{{lang|nl|Leerboek der Stoomwerktuigkunde}}'' ("Handbook of Steam Engineering").{{Sfn|van der Veen|2008|p=66–67}} More programmatically, however, in 1855 ''{{lang|nl|Het Gebed des Heeren in veertien talen}}'' ("The Lord's Prayer in Fourteen Languages") was meant to publicize Brill's ability to typeset non-Latin alphabets, including Hebrew, Aramaic, Samaritan, Sanskrit, Coptic, Syriac, and Arabic, among others.{{sfn|van der Veen|2008|p=51}}

===Public limited company and World War II, 1896–1945===
In 1896, Brill became a public limited company, when E.J. Brill's successors, A. P. M. van Oordt and Frans de Stoppelaar, both businessmen with some academic background and interest, died. A series of directors followed, until Theunis Folkers took over the reins in 1934.{{sfn|van der Veen|2008|p=108}} At the time, the annual turnover was 132,000 guilders.{{sfn|van der Veen|2008|pp=103 and 109}} His directorship marked a period of unprecedented growth in the history of the company, due to a large extent to Folkers' cooperation with the German occupying forces during [[World War II]]. For the Germans, Brill printed foreign-language textbooks so that they could manage the territories they occupied, but also military manuals, such as "a manual which trained German officers to distinguish the insignias of the Russian army".{{sfn|van der Veen|2008|p=108}} By 1943, the company's turnover had reached 579,000 guilders.{{sfn|van der Veen|2008|pp=103 and 109}}

===Post-war Brill, 1945–present===
[[File:EJBrill.jpg|thumb|E. J. Brill (''{{lang|de|Collection Deutsches Buch- und Schriftmuseum}}'')]]After the war, the Dutch [[denazification]] committee determined the presence of "enemy money" in Brill's accounts. Folkers was arrested in September 1946, and deprived of the right to hold a managerial post.{{sfn|van der Veen|2008|p=111}} The company itself, however, escaped the aftermath of the war relatively unscathed; after some negotiation its fines were fixed at 57,000 guilders.{{sfn|van der Veen|2008|p=115}}

Brill's path in the post-war years was again marked by ups and downs, though the company remained faithful in its commitment to scholarly publishing. The late 1980s saw an acute crisis due to over-expansion, poor management, as well as general changes in the publishing industry. Thus, in 1988–1991 under new management the company underwent a major restructuring, in the course of which it closed some of its foreign offices, including Cologne. Its London branch was already closed by then. Brill, moreover, sold its printing business, which amounted "to amputat[ing] its own limb".{{sfn|van der Veen|2008|p=144}} This was considered painful, but necessary to save the company as a whole. No jobs were lost in the process. The reorganization saved the company, which has since expanded. As of 2008, Brill was publishing around 600 books and 100 journals each year, with a turnover of 26 million euros.{{sfn|van der Veen|2008|p=153}}

In October 2023, it was announced that the German publisher [[De Gruyter]] would acquire Brill for €51.1 million, forming the new company De Gruyter Brill, by the second quarter of 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last=Page |first=Benedict |date=12 October 2023 |title=De Gruyter acquires Brill for €51.5m |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/de-gruyter-acquires-brill-for-515m |access-date=22 January 2024 |work=The Bookseller}}</ref>

== Areas of publication ==
Brill publishes in the following subject areas:

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* '''Humanities'''
:* African Studies
:* American Studies
:* Ancient Near East and Egypt Studies
:* Archaeology, Art & Architecture
:* Asian Studies (Hotei Publishing and Global Oriental imprints)
:* Classical Studies
:* Education
:* Jewish Studies
:* Literature and Cultural Studies (under the [[Rodopi (publisher)|Brill–Rodopi]] imprint)
:* Media Studies
:* Middle East and Islamic Studies
:* Philosophy
:* Religious Studies
:* Slavic and Eurasian Studies

* '''Law'''
:(under the [[Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|Brill–Nijhoff]] imprint)
:* Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
:* International Law
:* International Relations

* '''Sciences'''
:* Biology

* '''Social Sciences'''
:* Anthropology
:* Cartography
:* History
:* Language and Linguistics
:* Political Science
:* Sociology

* '''Ecclesiology'''
:* Biblical Studies and Early Christianity
:*Theology and World Christianity
{{div col end}}

==Imprints==
===Brill-Nijhoff<!--'Martinus Nijhoff Publishers' redirects here-->===
'''Martinus Nijhoff Publishers'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> was founded in 1853 by Martinus Nijhoff, grandfather of the Dutch poet [[Martinus Nijhoff|of the same name]] and a seller of rare books.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek]] |chapter=Nijhoff (Martinus) |volume=2 |pages=1010–1011 |chapter-url=http://www.historici.nl/retroboeken/nnbw/#source=2&page=510&accessor=accessor_index |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109071643/http://www.historici.nl/retroboeken/nnbw/ |archive-date=9 January 2014}}</ref> In the 1970s and 1980s, Nijhoff established itself as an independent [[international law]] publisher and was acquired by [[Wolters Kluwer]] in 1970<ref>{{cite book | last=Andriesse | first=Cornelis | title=Dutch Messengers: A History of Science Publishing, 1930-1980 | publisher=Brill | series=Library of the Written Word | date=30 November 2008 | isbn=978-90-474-2415-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FAmwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA230 | page=230 | language=en}}</ref><ref name="Hajnal1997">{{cite book |editor=Peter I. Hajnal |title=International Information: Documents, Publications, and Electronic Information of International Governmental Organizations |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-umm7lfWcXEC&pg=PA335 |year=1997 |publisher=[[Libraries Unlimited]] |isbn=978-1-56308-147-7 |pages=335–337 |author=Annebeth Rosenboom |chapter=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers as Disseminator of UN Information}}</ref> Brill Publishers acquired Nijhoff in 2003.<ref name=Brill /> The name was changed to Brill–Nijhoff in 2013,<ref name=Brill>{{cite web | author=Brill Publishers | date=November 2013 <!-- It was published online before the stated publication date. --> | url=http://www.brill.com/about/imprints/martinus-nijhoff-publishers/change-martinus-nijhoff-imprint | title=Change of Martinus Nijhoff Imprint | publisher= | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110114354/http://www.brill.com/about/imprints/martinus-nijhoff-publishers/change-martinus-nijhoff-imprint | archive-date=10 November 2013}}</ref> and it is now an imprint of Brill Publishers. Nijhoff's portfolio focuses on areas in [[public international law]], [[human rights]], on [[humanitarian law]] and increasingly on [[international relations]]. Its annual publication program consists of over 20 [[academic journal]]s, 20 annuals, and some 120 new book titles. Its back-list comprises over 2,000 titles.

===Rodopi<!--'Rodopi (publisher)' redirects here-->===
'''Rodopi'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->, founded in 1966 in [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands, was an academic publishing company with offices in the Netherlands and the United States. It takes its name from [[Rhodope Mountains|a mountain range]] in Bulgaria which forms the border with northern Greece.

Rodopi publishes over 150 titles per year in around 70 [[Peer_review|peer-reviewed]] book series and journals. Rodopi publications are available in print and electronic formats. Although the main language of publication is English, the multilingual list includes German, French, and Spanish..  

On 1 January 2014, Rodopi was taken over by Brill and acquired around 3,000 book titles at the time of the sale.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 June 2014 |title=Brill rondt overname Editions Rodopi af |url=https://www.telegraaf.nl/financieel/959264/brill-rondt-overname-editions-rodopi-af |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403153414/https://www.telegraaf.nl/financieel/959264/brill-rondt-overname-editions-rodopi-af |archive-date=3 April 2018 |work=[[De Telegraaf]] |language=Dutch}}</ref>

===Wageningen Academic===
{{main|Wageningen Academic Publishers}}
In April 2022 Brill acquired full ownership of [[Wageningen Academic Publishers]].<ref>{{cite web | author=S&P Capital IQ | title=Koninklijke Brill NV acquired Wageningen Academic Publishers B.V. from Enrico Kunst and Mike Jacobs | website=MarketScreener | date=18 April 2022 | url=https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/KONINKLIJKE-BRILL-NV-6354/news/Koninklijke-Brill-NV-acquired-Wageningen-Academic-Publishers-B-V-from-Enrico-Kunst-and-Mike-Jacobs-40096677/ | access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref>

==Open access==
Brill publishes several [[open access]] journals<ref>{{cite web|url=https://brill.com/page/OpenAccess/open-access-at-brill|title=Open Access with Brill|work=brill.com}}</ref> and is one of thirteen publishers to participate in the [[Knowledge Unlatched]] pilot, a global library consortium approach to funding [[Open-access monograph|open access books]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knowledgeunlatched.org/publishers/|title=KU Select For Publishers|work=knowledgeunlatched.org}}</ref>

In 2013, Brill created the IFLA/Brill Open Access Award for initiatives in the area of open access monograph publishing together with the [[International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions]].<ref>{{cite magazine | author=<!--none--> | date=15 January 2013 | title=Brill and IFLA announce new OA prize | website=Research Information | issn=1744-8026 | publication-place=Cambridge, UK | publisher=Europa Science Ltd. | url=https://www.researchinformation.info/news/brill-and-ifla-announce-new-oa-prize?news_id=1081 <!-- https://www.researchinformation.info/news/news_story.php?news_id=1081 --> }}</ref>

Brill is a member of the [[Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association]].{{fact|date=February 2024}}

==Brill typeface==
Brill has developed a commercial font, free for personal use, that supports most of the Latin, Greek and Cyrillic character ranges, including IPA and historical forms. It has better diacritic rendering than most pre-packaged computer fonts, though not complete IPA coverage.<ref>[https://brill.com/page/BrillFont/brill-typeface Brill Typeface]</ref>

==See also==
* [[:Category:Brill Publishers academic journals|List of Brill academic journals]]
* [[Books in the Netherlands]]
* ''[[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]'' – reference work published by Brill

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book | last=van der Veen | first=Sytze | title=Brill, 325 Years of Scholarly Publishing | publisher=Brill | publication-place=Leiden | date=2008 | isbn=978-90-04-17032-2 }}

==Further reading==
* Ophuijsen, J.M. van. (1994). ''E. J. Brill, three centuries of scholarly publishing, since 1683.'' Leiden: Brill Publishers.
* {{cite magazine | last=Verde | first=Tom | date=May 2015 | title=Brill's Bridge to Arabic | magazine=Aramco World | issn=2376-1075 | publication-place=Houston | publisher=Aramco Services Company | volume=66 |number=3 | pages=30–39  | url=https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/201503/brill.s.bridge.to.arabic.htm <!-- https://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201503/brill.s.bridge.to.arabic.htm --> | access-date=9 November 2023 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://archive.today/20150729085029/https://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201503/brill.s.bridge.to.arabic.htm | archive-date=29 July 2015}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* {{Open Library publisher|Brill|Brill Academic|E. J. Brill}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Brill Publishers| ]]
[[Category:1683 establishments in the Dutch Republic]]
[[Category:Academic publishing companies|Brill]]
[[Category:Book publishing companies of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1683]]
[[Category:Companies formerly listed on Euronext Amsterdam]]
[[Category:Companies based in Leiden]]
[[Category:Mass media in Leiden]]
[[Category:Publishing companies established in the 17th century]]
[[Category:De Gruyter]]
[[Category:2024 mergers and acquisitions]]