Tracing the hidden trade: the role of Antwerp bookbinders in the bookselling business of the Officina Plantiniana
Speaker(s): Zanna Van Loon
Related events: Bookbindings Academy 2025 – Day 2
Releated Working Group(s):
Collection: Bookbindings Academy
Recorded: February 14, 2025
Abstract:
Even though their work is still tangible in surviving books bound in leather, paper, or parchment covers, early modern bookbinders are often historically overlooked owing to insufficient documentary evidence. As artisans, they provided essential on-demand services that ensured the books’ physical integrity. The close-knit network of Antwerp bookbinders played an important role in the book trade industry of the Officiana Plantiniana, fostering a symbiotic relationship between printing, selling, and binding that was central to the success of the printing office in a competitive and bustling market.
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