Robinson Crusoe (Movable Scenic Book) – Gebroeders Belinfante Dutch Edition of Dean & Son’s New Scenic Book No 2

[Belinfante, Gebroeders.]
Belinfante’s Nieuwe Prentenboeken – Robinson Crusoe
Dutch Edition of Dean’s New Scenic Books No. 2
S. Gravenhage: Gebroeders Belinfante, [n.d., ca. 1860s].

Quarto (25.4 x 17.5 x 0.8 cm). Original quarter blue cloth with hand-colored pictorial paper-covered boards.
Eight leaves, each containing a hand-colored lithographed three-layer pop-up scene.

The movable elements are operated by silk ribbons, designed to raise the illustrated backgrounds into an upright scenic display. The illustrations depict various key episodes from the life of Robinson Crusoe.

This rare Dutch adaptation of Dean & Son’s New Scenic Books series—specifically No. 2, Robinson Crusoe—was issued by Gebroeders Belinfante of The Hague. The format and mechanism closely mirror the English originals, with hand-colored lithography and layered scenic tableaux activated by ribbon pulls.

Condition: Very Good. All eight scenic pop-ups are present and complete, with bright hand-coloring and full functionality. All original components are intact except for the ribbon on the first scene, which is broken but potentially restorable. Some of the ribbons have been professionally replaced to restore working order. The endpapers have been expertly repaired, and the binding is sound. A collector’s stamp appears on the rear board: “Sammlung Inge Hase.”

This is a well-preserved and fully operational example of a scarce Continental movable book, notable both for its adaptation of a Dean & Son design and its survival in working condition.

All books are sold on approval with a full refund if not delighted for any reason.

The Gebroeders Belinfante, the firm responsible for publishing Belinfante's Nieuwe Prentenboeken series in 1865, operated in The Hague and became known for producing educational and entertaining children’s books. If you see “’s-Gravenhage” in reference to a publisher’s location or in the publication details of a historical Dutch book, it simply indicates that the book was published in The Hague.

Others in their series: Roodkapje (Dutch edition of Little Red Riding Hood New Scenic Books by Dean, circa 1865 - Similar to Robinson Crusoë, Roodkapje features cut-out, hand-colored lithographic illustrations that stand upright, making it an interactive experience for readers -.

Wouter Wonderman's Wondervolle Surprises (circa 1865 - This book differs from the other titles by being a flip-over book with eight pages. Each page has fold-out flaps that reveal new scenes, making it a "surprise" book with multiple interactive elements.

How Gebroeders Belinfante Likely Adapted Dean & Son Titles: Dutch Copyright Law in the 19th Century

During the 19th century, Dutch copyright law operated under the Auteurswet of 1817, which granted legal protection exclusively to Dutch authors, translators, and publishers. Foreign authors and publishers—including those from Britain—were excluded from these protections. As a result, international works could be freely translated, reproduced, and sold in the Dutch market without permission or compensation. This legal gap gave Dutch publishers a powerful commercial advantage, enabling them to publish high-demand foreign literature without the overhead of licensing fees or legal agreements.

This environment provided fertile ground for publishers like Gebroeders Belinfante (Belinfante Brothers) of The Hague to issue translated or adapted editions of popular foreign titles. Among these was Dean & Son’s New Scenic Books series from London, which Belinfante reproduced for the Dutch market—most notably the ribbon-operated Robinson Crusoe pop-up book. These adaptations used hand-colored lithographs and the same interactive scenic mechanisms found in the Dean originals, offering Dutch children an equally immersive storytelling experience.

One of the most illustrative examples of this system in practice occurred in 1869, when Gebroeders Belinfante contacted Cassell, Petter & Galpin to request permission to use illustrations from Wilkie Collins’s Man and Wife—but made no effort to secure translation rights. Collins responded with public sarcasm, referring to the publishers as his “dear Dutchmen,” and used the correspondence, published in Cassell’s Echo and Harper’s Weekly, to criticize Dutch copyright law. He condemned the Dutch publishing industry’s attitude as “larcenous,” arguing that unauthorized translations were morally equivalent to theft.

First Payment for Foreign Translation Rights: The payment of 100 guilders to Wilkie Collins by Gebroeders Belinfante was the first known case of a Dutch publisher paying a foreign author for translation rights. This marked a historical turning point in Dutch publishing practices.

The incident led to a remarkable shift. Although the payment was not required by law, it represented the first voluntary recognition of a foreign author’s moral and financial claims in Dutch publishing. In the years following this event, Gebroeders Belinfante continued publishing nearly all Dutch translations of Collins’s work with his permission.

Gradual Shift in Dutch Practice: While the Netherlands didn't join the Berne Convention until 1912, this Anglo-Dutch arrangement between Collins and Belinfante set the stage for a shift from copyright piracy to negotiated licensing.

Meanwhile, the Dutch book trade association (Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Belangen des Boekhandels, or VBBB) modified its internal rules: starting in 1878, publishers could claim translation rights not only by presenting a copy of the original work but also by submitting proof of payment to the foreign author. This change further indicated the growing influence of ethical publishing practices, even before legal mandates.

However, the free-for-all copyright environment would not last forever. Mounting international pressure and bilateral treaties began to erode the Dutch exception. Treaties with France (1855), Belgium (1858), and Spain (1862) were early steps, but a standardized global framework did not emerge until the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works was established in 1886. The Netherlands formally joined the Berne Convention in 1912, which marked a turning point: from then on, foreign authors and publishers received the same protections as Dutch ones. Unauthorized translations and adaptations—such as those Belinfante had issued decades earlier—were no longer legal.

After 1912, Dutch publishers were required to obtain contracts and pay royalties for the right to translate or adapt international literature. This legal shift effectively ended the era of widespread, unlicensed foreign reprints and aligned Dutch publishing with international norms of intellectual property protection.

Ultimately, international pressure and economic factors drove the Netherlands to sign the Berne Convention, which established a uniform system of international copyright protection. From that point on, publishers were required to obtain permission and pay licensing fees for translations and reprints of foreign works, officially ending the era of unlicensed adaptations.

In summary, Gebroeders Belinfante’s connection to Dean & Son is a telling example of how 19th-century Dutch publishers leveraged gaps in international copyright law to disseminate high-quality foreign works to Dutch readers. The pop-up Robinson Crusoe issued by Belinfante—directly modeled on Dean’s edition—is a rare surviving artifact from this transitional era in publishing history. Belinfante’s early and voluntary payment to Collins represents a landmark in the transformation of Dutch publishing law and ethics—an early indicator that moral claims to copyright were beginning to gain traction even before international law required them.

About Gravenhage Gebroeders Belinfante:

Joseph Justus Belinfante (1812–1882), together with his brother Isaac Belinfante (1814–1892), operated under the firm name Gebroeders Belinfante (Belinfante Brothers), based in ’s-Gravenhage (The Hague). In addition to publishing, the family managed the Nederlandsch Correspondentie Bureau, a prominent correspondence and news bureau. Their publishing portfolio was diverse, encompassing legal and governmental publications, as well as richly illustrated children’s books. Among their most notable contributions was the adaptation and translation of foreign titles—particularly English works originally issued by Dean & Son—for the Dutch market.

The Belinfante family had established itself in The Hague by the mid-18th century, roughly a century after the first Sephardic Jews settled in the city. Over time, they became deeply integrated into both the Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities and played influential roles in Dutch civic life. Their involvement extended across commerce, religion, journalism, and the arts. Significantly, members of the Belinfante family were responsible for launching the first Jewish periodical in the Netherlands, marking a foundational moment in Dutch-Jewish publishing history.

Joseph Justus Belinfante was born into this distinguished lineage, which traced its roots back to Turkey, Portugal, and Italy since the 17th century. He was the son of Jacob Belinfante and the nephew of the noted Mozes ben-Zaddik Ha-Cohen Belinfante. He began his career as a proofreader fluent in both French and Dutch and soon gained recognition for his editorial precision and linguistic acumen. These qualities served him well in publishing, where he oversaw the production of high-quality governmental documents and literary texts, including a significant number of children’s books and translated works. Among these were Dutch editions of Dean & Son’s movable books—evidence of the Belinfantes’ role in bringing British innovations in children’s literature to a Dutch audience.

Though he and his wife, Bilha Lobato (1804–1880), had no children of their own, Joseph Justus remained closely involved with his extended family, who affectionately called him Oom Joost ("Uncle Justus"). His contributions helped define an era of Dutch publishing that bridged both Jewish cultural heritage and European literary exchange.