Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Linné collection
Inscribed 1997
What is it
A collection of books and correspondence by and
about Carl von Linné (Carl Linnaeus) and his pupils.
His pioneering work in devising a system of naming
plants and animals is covered in detail in material in
the collection.
Why was it inscribed
Carl von Linné provided methods of botanical and
zoological nomenclature and description which remain
the basis for naming all living organisms to this day. This
collection is one of the most important collections in the
world relating to the work of Linné.
Where is it
Royal Library, Copenhagen, Denmark
Carl von Linné (Carl Linnaeus) was born in 1707 in Småland
in Sweden, the son of a clergyman. He coined his own
surname Linné (or Linnaeus), which referred to the
large linden (or linn) tree at the family home. He studied
medicine at Lund and Uppsala and in 1732 made a journey
to Lapland. He lived in Holland from 1735 to 1738, and then
returned to Sweden, practising medicine until he became
professor of medicine and botany at Uppsala University in
1741, a position he retained until his death in 1778.
His fame rests on his great mission to classify, record and
name all living organisms in a rational and logical system.
He created the binomial system of scientific nomenclature
that continues to be used today. Using a form of botanical
Latin that he devised, the names of all organisms were
made up of two parts, the genus name which contained
organisms of similar characteristics, and the species
name, which defined a unique organism: thus Homo
(the genus) sapiens (the species). To place these organisms
in context, he also classified the whole of nature so that,
for example, he divided the animal kingdom into major
divisions – Mammalia (mammals), Aves (birds), Amphibia
(amphibians and reptiles), Pisces (fish), Insecta (including
crustaceans) and Vermes (including molluscs). The first
edition of Linnaeus’ main work, Systema Naturæ, was
published in 1735. He followed this with further books and
new editions. Today the internationally recognized starting
276 Linné collection
point for botanical names is Species Plantarum of 1753 and
for zoological names is the 10th edition of Systema Naturæ
of 1758.
The Linné collection now in the Royal Library at
Copenhagen contains significant works by and on Linné,
while other important collections are held in London,
Uppsala and Pittsburgh (the Linnean Society in London
holds his personal library and collections). The Linné
collection was formed by merging the collection of a
private Danish book collector and the collection of the
Danish National Library of Science and Medicine and is
now kept in the Royal Library. The collection comprises
a total of around 5000 items. In addition to Linné’s own
works it includes biographies, correspondence, a large
quantity of reprints, a few letters and some pictures.
His students at Uppsala who became naturalists are
also represented in a special section.
Linné’s great contribution to science was in providing a system
of classification for all living things. He classified plants on
the basis of their reproductive parts, as illustrated here
by Georg Ehret in 1736. �