De “Officina Plantiniana” ratione recta: Het uitgeversfonds van Jan I Moretus (1589–1610)

Abstract

The subject of this dissertation is the reconstruction of the editorial strategies of Jan Moretus I, manager of the Antwerp Plantin Press from 1589 till 1610. It describes which texts Jan Moretus was willing to publish and why he wanted to do so. It also offers an inside view in the working methods of a leading publishing house in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe. Specifically, following a biography of Jan Moretus, the study describes the production of his editions in more detail and discusses the different agreements that he made with his authors. This is possible thanks to the exceptional preservation of the account books and correspondence of this publishing house, in addition to examples of the books they printed. These documents, providing detailed information about contact with authors, as well as payments to the pressmen and the artists responsible for the illustrations, constitute unique sources that reveal much of how Jan Moretus managed his Press. As the system of privileges had a significant influence on the working methods of publishers, a separate chapter concentrates on this topic. The privileges for the printing of the reformed liturgical texts after the Council of Trent offered vast sale and profit possibilities in the beginning of the seventeenth century. Moretus had to defend these privileges continuously against his competitors in the Netherlands and Germany. Research on this topic reveals the importance of good connections with worldly and religious authorities and the existence of unexpected networks between publishers and booksellers. This study on the Officina Plantiniana also offers significant information regarding the working methods and strategies of other publishing houses in general at the end of the 16^th and the beginning of the 17^th century. Through their business transactions with Jan Moretus other publishers from in- and outside the Netherlands are frequently discussed. Consequently, this study is also relevant for the history of books and publishing from this period generally.