Antequariaat Schumacher ‘25

Emptying one of Amsterdam’s most crooked houses, filled with 100,000 antique books.

After the death of its last owner, the bookcollection at Antiquariaat Schumacher had to be cleared out after seventy years. Each book had to be judged: keep it or throw it away? We came across the most beautiful and the most bizarre things, along with a lot of rubbish. It was fascinating to look through hundreds of years of written thoughts, stories, and ideas. As long as people have been writing, they have been writing about the same subjects: love, fear, war, comfort.

A system was used: a chute and a container. With speed and skill, the books were assessed upstairs, then either placed into boxes or thrown down the chute. It was a bizarre sight and drew a lot of attention. There were always people around the container, artists, writers, tourists, locals, young and old, poor and rich. Most were curious and interested, looking through the pile for a good find; some were outraged and angry, calling it “thrown-away gold.” The person responsible disagreed. “I just see it as old paper.” It had been offered, but no bookshops, library, or antiquarians wanted it.

For me, working in this place had something magical. A crooked house full of history, culture, and passion. Every day brought new surprises and discoveries. The work was dusty and dirty, and on some days literally involved blood, sweat, and tears. But there was always time for coffee, conversations, and for taking photos. I always came home from work tired and dirty, but happy.