Brill Publishers
A Dutch international academic publisher specializing in humanities, social sciences, law, area studies, scholarly journals, books, and research databases.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Brill Publishers is a long-established Dutch academic publishing house based in Leiden. Its origins date to 1683, when bookseller Jordaan Luchtmans was registered by the Leiden booksellers' guild and combined bookselling with publishing. The business developed in close proximity to Leiden University and initially concentrated on biblical studies, theology, Asian languages, and ethnography. It later became associated with the Brill name after Evert Jan Brill acquired the business in 1848. Brill has built its reputation through specialist scholarly publishing rather than mass-market books. Its principal fields include Oriental and Asian studies, classics, religious studies, Jewish studies, Islamic studies, international law, human rights, history, language and linguistics, and related areas in the humanities and social sciences. The company publishes research monographs, edited collections, textbooks, reference works, serial publications, annuals, primary-source materials, microform collections, ebooks, and online databases. Its editorial program is aimed chiefly at universities, libraries, researchers, learned societies, and advanced students. The company is particularly associated with major reference projects and specialist series, including the Encyclopaedia of Islam and Brill's New Pauly. It also maintains extensive journal and book backlists, combining print editions with electronic delivery and discipline-specific digital resources. Brill's publishing activity has historically depended on its ability to handle complex multilingual and non-Latin typography. A notable nineteenth-century example was a publication of the Lord's Prayer in fourteen languages, demonstrating the firm's capabilities in Hebrew, Arabic, Sanskrit, Syriac, Coptic, and other scripts. In the modern period, the company developed the Brill typeface, designed to support extensive Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic character sets as well as specialist scholarly characters. Brill's corporate history has included periods of expansion, restructuring, and portfolio development. It became a public limited company in 1896. During the Second World War, the firm supplied foreign-language educational and military material to the German occupation authorities. After the war, director Theunis Folkers was arrested and barred from management following a Dutch denazification process, while the company received a financial penalty. Brill subsequently rebuilt its scholarly publishing business. A major restructuring in 1988–1991 addressed over-expansion, management difficulties, and changes in the publishing industry. The company closed or reduced several overseas operations and sold its printing business. Thereafter it returned to growth through specialist publishing, international distribution, acquisitions, and digital products. It acquired the international-law publisher Martinus Nijhoff in 2003, took over Rodopi in 2014, and acquired full ownership of Wageningen Academic Publishers in 2022. The Nijhoff list became the Brill–Nijhoff imprint, with a focus on public international law, human rights, humanitarian law, and international relations. Brill has also participated in open-access publishing. It publishes open-access journals and books, belongs to the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association, and has participated in the Knowledge Unlatched model for collective library funding of open-access monographs. Together with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, it established the IFLA/Brill Open Access Award in 2013. In October 2023, De Gruyter announced an agreement to acquire Brill for approximately €51.1 million. The transaction was completed in 2024, and the two businesses combined their operations under the De Gruyter Brill name. Brill continues as an important scholarly publishing identity within the combined organization, with its historic Leiden base and international presence complemented by operations associated with Boston, Pad…
History
Brill traces its history to 17 May 1683, when the Leiden booksellers' guild registered Jordaan Luchtmans as a bookseller. Luchtmans combined retail bookselling with publishing and established close links with Leiden University. His early program emphasized biblical studies, theology, Asian languages, and ethnography, fields that helped define the company's later identity as a specialist scholarly publisher. The business remained in the Luchtmans family until 1848. When the last surviving heir chose an academic career, ownership passed to former employee Evert Jan Brill. Brill inherited substantial financial obligations and liquidated the existing Luchtmans inventory through auctions held between 1848 and 1850. He retained the firm's scholarly orientation but also tested other areas. The company's 1855 publication of the Lord's Prayer in fourteen languages showcased its ability to set and print numerous non-Latin scripts, including Hebrew, Aramaic, Samaritan, Sanskrit, Coptic, Syriac, and Arabic. A later handbook on steam engineering illustrated the occasional breadth of its list. In 1896, after the deaths of Brill's successors A. P. M. van Oordt and Frans de Stoppelaar, the firm became a public limited company. Theunis Folkers became director in 1934 and presided over substantial growth. During the German occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War, Brill printed foreign-language textbooks and military material for the occupying authorities. After the war, Dutch denazification officials identified enemy funds in the company's accounts. Folkers was arrested in September 1946 and prohibited from holding a managerial position. Brill itself paid a negotiated fine and continued operating. The post-war company remained committed to scholarly publishing but experienced serious difficulties in the late 1980s. Over-expansion, management problems, and structural change in the publishing sector produced an acute crisis. Under new management, Brill was reorganized between 1988 and 1991. It closed several foreign offices, including the Cologne operation, and sold its printing business. The restructuring was intended to preserve the publishing company as a viable specialist enterprise and enabled a later period of renewed expansion. Brill subsequently broadened its international and digital activities while maintaining strong subject expertise. It developed programs in books, journals, reference works, online databases, primary sources, and electronic collections. Its acquisition of Martinus Nijhoff Publishers in 2003 added a major international-law list. Rodopi was acquired in 2014, bringing thousands of titles and a multilingual program, and Brill obtained full ownership of Wageningen Academic Publishers in 2022. Open access became another component of Brill's publishing strategy. The company introduced open-access journals and books, joined the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association, participated in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, and created the IFLA/Brill Open Access Award with IFLA in 2013. Brill also developed a scholarly typeface supporting extensive Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic character ranges, historical forms, and specialist diacritics. In October 2023, De Gruyter announced its planned acquisition of Brill for approximately €51.1 million. The transaction was completed in 2024, combining the businesses as De Gruyter Brill. Brill remains associated with its historic Leiden headquarters and with an international publishing network serving researchers, libraries, universities, and learned institutions.
- 2024
De Gruyter Brill formed
[1]Brill and De Gruyter combined their operations, creating De Gruyter Brill.
- 2023
De Gruyter acquisition announced
[1]De Gruyter announced an agreement to acquire Brill for approximately €51.1 million.
- 2022
Wageningen Academic Publishers fully acquired
[1]Brill acquired full ownership of Wageningen Academic Publishers.
- 2014
Rodopi acquired
[1]Brill took over Rodopi and added its book titles, journals, and multilingual scholarly series.
- 2013
IFLA/Brill Open Access Award created
[1]Brill and IFLA launched an award for open-access monograph initiatives.
- 2003
Martinus Nijhoff Publishers acquired
[1]The acquisition expanded Brill's international-law, human-rights, and international-relations publishing.
- 1988
Major restructuring begins
[1]Brill began a restructuring program that continued through 1991, including office closures and the sale of its printing business.
- 1946
Post-war denazification action
[1]Theunis Folkers was arrested and barred from management after a Dutch post-war review of the company's wartime activities and finances.
- 1934
Theunis Folkers becomes director
[1]Folkers began a directorship associated with substantial pre-war and wartime expansion.
- 1896
Company becomes a public limited company
[1]Brill was reorganized as a Dutch public limited company.
Products and positioning
Premium specialist academic publishing focused on authoritative humanities, social sciences, area studies, law, reference works, and research resources.
Reference work
Encyclopaedia of Islam
A major scholarly reference project focused on Islam and the Islamic world. Its articles are produced for academic audiences and support research across history, religion, culture, geography, law, and related fields.
Classical studies reference work
Brill's New Pauly
A modern scholarly encyclopedia of the ancient world and classical studies. It forms part of Brill's specialist reference publishing and is aimed at researchers, instructors, students, and academic libraries.
Academic books and journals · 2013
Brill–Nijhoff
The imprint originating from Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, with a program centered on public international law, human rights, humanitarian law, international relations, annuals, journals, and scholarly books.
Academic journals
Brill academic journals
Peer-reviewed journals covering the humanities, social sciences, law, area studies, religion, history, languages, and related disciplines. Journals are offered through print and electronic publishing channels.
Research database
Brill online databases and digital collections
Digital research resources that provide access to scholarly reference content, primary sources, specialist collections, ebooks, and other discipline-focused materials for institutions and researchers.
Font
Brill typeface
A typeface developed by Brill for scholarly typography. It supports broad Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic coverage, historical forms, and many specialist diacritics, and is available free for personal use.
Controversies
1946
Post-war scrutiny of wartime publishing
After the Second World War, Dutch denazification authorities found enemy funds in Brill's accounts and scrutinized the company's wartime work for the German occupying authorities. Director Theunis Folkers was arrested, barred from management, and the company paid a negotiated fine.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013IFLA/Brill Open Access Award
Global academic publishing
Brill partnered with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions to create an award supporting and recognizing innovation in open-access monograph publishing.
Outcome. The initiative positioned Brill as a participant in the development of open-access book publishing.
- 2013Open-access publishing program
Global academic publishing
Brill expanded its open-access activities through open-access journals and books and participation in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, which used collective library funding to support open-access monographs.
Outcome. The program added open-access distribution to Brill's traditional subscription and sales-based publishing model.
Brand decisions
2023
Agreement to combine with De GruyterM&ABackground
The proposed transaction aimed to combine two established academic publishing businesses.
Action taken
De Gruyter agreed to acquire Brill for approximately €51.1 million, with completion planned for 2024.
Aftermath
The businesses combined in 2024 under the De Gruyter Brill organization.
Announced acquisition value. €51.1 million (Announced October 2023)
2022
Full acquisition of Wageningen Academic PublishersM&ABackground
Brill continued to broaden its specialist academic publishing portfolio.
Action taken
Brill acquired full ownership of Wageningen Academic Publishers.
Aftermath
The transaction added Wageningen Academic's publishing activities to Brill's portfolio.
2014
Acquisition of RodopiM&ABackground
Rodopi had an established multilingual academic list, including books, journals, and peer-reviewed series.
Action taken
Brill took over Rodopi and acquired approximately 3,000 titles.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded Brill's multilingual and interdisciplinary backlist.
2003
Acquisition of Martinus Nijhoff PublishersM&ABackground
Brill sought to strengthen its position in international law and related scholarly fields.
Action taken
Brill acquired Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and incorporated its specialist list.
Aftermath
The portfolio later operated under the Brill–Nijhoff imprint and continued publishing in international law, human rights, humanitarian law, and international relations.
1988
Restructuring and withdrawal from printingStrategyBackground
Brill faced a serious crisis linked to over-expansion, management problems, and changes in the publishing industry.
Action taken
The company closed or reduced several overseas offices and sold its printing business during a restructuring that continued through 1991.
Aftermath
The reorganization was intended to preserve the company as a specialist scholarly publisher and was followed by renewed expansion.
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