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17C the Dutch published more books per capita than any other book producing nation. 3 million art pictures in their homes and 300 million books. Relative to population the printed 10 times the number of books to all the countries. They also imported vast numbers of books from France, Germany and Italy many to reexport. The home market was the most important.
1566 Dutch revolt of the dissident Calvinist Church and 1585 the leading publishing from the south Antwerp moved north and Holland which began to grow because of the massive economic migration from the south, and the prosperity of Flanders was transferred to Amsterdam beginning the Dutch miracle with a population of 2 million. When Galileo was forbidden to publish in Italy he published in Amsterdam.
1663 "What is a man who has no understanding of good books" This was Europe's most urban , literate and educated society. Latin education produced the elite destined to be lawyers, doctors and ministers. Books for these subjects were printed in Latin
You had Dutch schools free to the poorest of society, with their books printed in the vernacular.
"libri prohibiti" of Spinoza , Hobbes and Pieter de la Court. But publishes of this had nothing to fear. Some of the books survived well in libraries as they were not read much. Legal tomes were published in Lyon,Frankfurt or Paris but the Dutch offered books that made a profit.
1guilden =20stuiven 1 stuiven = 8 duiten or 16 penningen. Most new books were sold as loose sheets and you had to go to a binder in a different shop
1637 the New States Bible came out. Many scholars received books in return for help like proofreading. Big books made reputations but small books made money. Dutch Calvinism spawned it own authoritative interpreters of theology.
1609 The Twelve Year Truce this left the Dutch state a confederal union of 7 provinces. This was a contentious issue as it had been signed against the wishes of a large segment of the population. Privateers were attacking the Spanish, Protestant Flemish and Walloons had had 3 years to convert back to Catholicism or move north, once the borders became fixed by peace it meant that they could never return to their homes of possessions in the south. Spain realized they could not conquer the Dutch by arms and so tried by the truce bribes , betrayal and deceit.
Pamphleteering and public debate were at the heart of Dutch political culture, it subverted the authority of the state and became illegal but nobody took regard of this. Many beneficial writing were published anonymously by patriots.
The DRC Dutch Reformed Church was the only church formally supported by the state, and the University of Leiden was the leader of this. Remonstrative literature and debate was remarkable as was all in the Dutch language.
1619 Johan van Oldenbarnesvelt was executed, printed about this in the press but announced that more on the subject would follow next week. The first time the press made a serial of a story. The concept of the Newspaper took over from the pamphleteer, but it had a fixed time that it had to come out for its subscribers.
1626 Becks Diary was written during an exceptional turbulent period of the Dutch Republic and social life at his school and mentions the capture of San Savadore de Bahia in Brazil by the Dutch.
1639 Dutch victory of the Battle of the Downs. The Spanish navy was defeated and Dutch and British came of age.
Atlases were in great demand as the Dutch trade went around the world. Booksellers had informal reading rooms.
Newspapers on a single press front an back could print a maximum of 1000 copies in a day. So 1000 subscription was the optimum unless he doubled it and got 2 presses. The Newspapers were often subsidized in German by the local power on in England by Whig or Tory. Paid advertising started with the Dutch normally about the new book available. Changing from black letter type to small roma typeface more words could be crammed in. Mobility along the canals was efficient so the Dutch were the most informed citizens of Europe.
1597 3 Dutch ships had establish a trading post in Java breaking the spice trade monopoly of the Portuguese. Every VOC ship had 300 books on board for the use of the crew, during the long voyages. The Ships bible as well as anti-Catholic polemics, and others. Bibles were printed for the natives of colonies but the Dutch were more interested in trade than spreading spiritual succour.
1534 Wittenberg was the start of the Reformation and the publication of Luther's complete Bible in German.
1637 The first official state funded translation of the bible into Dutch Statenbijbel for the protestant Calvinist Church.
Antwerp had been the capital of vernacular education and had the best schools, over 400 Protectant teacher are known to have moved north, French schools offered a wider range of education. People wanted an education for the mercantile needs at the time.
1648 there were 5 Dutch universities in 5 provinces
1688 an enormous Dutch fleet set of from Hellevoetsluis to invade England via Torbay in Devon. The Protestant English nation was eager to throw of the tyranny of Catholic James II. 500 ships with 20000 troops and 5000 horses. William of Orange and the city of Amsterdam whos merchant committed their financial resources to this venture. They were worried that James II would form an alliance with Frances Louis XIV.
50,000 copies of William of Oranges Declaration in English were brought justifying the invasion, this was published and the owners of the printers had to be on duty so that copies could not get out. Printing presses were also taken with on the invasion of England The Declaration arrived at every parish and this was the Glorious Revolution. This was the height of the Dutch Golden Age. We now start to see the decline.
1669 Rembrandt died , 1675 Vermeer died ,1666 Frans Hals died ,1679 Jan Steen died, 1682 Jacob van Ruisdael.
1672 French invasion. The north sea Herring fleet was ravaged by French privateers and the Baltic atrade was challenged by the Danish and Swedish crowns. Dutch shipbuilding declined and the Dutch cloth industry withered.
1667 New Amsterdam lost in Treaty of Breda and the Forth Anglo Dutch War after 1784 the British Empire challenged Dutch power.
1685 Louis XIV expelled the Huguenots brought their printing skills and the French language.At a time when half the books imported in to England came via the Dutch Republic. The Dutch had a remarkable printing infrastructure and a strong domestic market for books as well as internal communications by canal. The auction system reduced risk.
Most paper was imported but with windmill power brought a new generation of paper mills. Large quantities of rags were imported. Education moved from Latin schools to more practical French education. Students who dropped out of Latin schools could never use it. The Dutch language market was too small and not everyone was Dutch speaking. You however had a very high level of literacy and parents invested in the education of the girls. Women also played an important part as readers and consumers of the printed word. Many letters were written by women to their husband on ships without having to pay scribes. The French and German influxes were easily absorbed, and there was also a demand for English language texts.
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