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The Invention of Printing.: A Collection of Facts and Opinions, Descriptive of Early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, the Legend of Lourens Janszoon Coster, of Haarlem, and the Work of John Gutenberg and His AssociatesDe Vinne, Theodore Low

History

The Invention of Printing.: A Collection of Facts and Opinions, Descriptive of Early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, the Legend of Lourens Janszoon Coster, of Haarlem, and the Work of John Gutenberg and His Associates

Name: The Invention of Printing.: A Collection of Facts and Opinions, Descriptive of Early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, the Legend of Lourens Janszoon Coster, of Haarlem, and the Work of John Gutenberg and His Associates
Author: De Vinne, Theodore Low

De Vinne, Theodore Low

Incunabula -- Bibliography; Printing -- History -- Origin and antecedents

From the early records we can glean nothing which will demonstrate that
typography was practised in any part of the Netherlands before 1472.
The workmanship of all known Netherlandish printers after this date
is of every degree of merit and of demerit, but in all their books
it shows the impressions of types founded in moulds of hard metal,
and properly printed on a press, on both sides of the paper, and in
black ink. As it is a style of workmanship entirely unlike that of the
unknown printer, it is a proper inference that typography came into the
Netherlands, as it did into all other countries, through the pupils and
by the method of Gutenberg.

The table annexed will show how late was the beginning of typography in
the Netherlands. It also shows that printing “by the art that is now
used,” was introduced almost simultaneously in three different towns of
the Netherlands. In the year 1473, John of Westphalia was first printer
at Alost; [p324] the partners Ketelaer and De Leempt were at Utrecht;
and Veldener was at Louvain. Ketelaer and De Leempt were Netherlanders,
but there is no evidence to confirm the conjecture that they had been
instructed by the unknown printer. Veldener of Wurtzburg, John of
Westphalia, Colard Mansion, William Caxton, Arnold Ter Hoorne, Conrad
of Westphalia, Richard Paffroed, Conrad Braem, and Hermann of Nassau
were graduates from printing offices at Cologne.[181] It is possible
that Thierry Martens also was taught typography in the same city. We
have many evidences that Cologne was the school of typography for the
Netherlands.

[Illustration:

THE TOWNS AND CITIES OF THE NETHERLANDS IN WHICH PRINTING OFFICES WERE
ESTABLISHED DURING THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

[From Holtrop.]

 Utrecht           Nicholas Ketelaer, Gerard de Leempt,   1473–1474.

                   William Hees                           1475.
                   John Veldener                          1478–1481.
 Alost             John of Westphalia                     1473–1474.
                   Thierry Martens                        1474–1490.

 Louvain           John Veldener                          1473–1477.
                   John of Westphalia                     1474–1496.
                   Conrad Braem                           1475–1481.
                   Conrad of Westphalia                   1476.
                   Hermann of Nassau, Rud. Loeffs,        1483.
                   Egidius van der Heerstraten            1485–1488.
                   Louis de Ravescot                      1488.
                   Thierry Martens                        1498–1500.

 Brussels          Brotherhood of the Life-in-Common,     1476–1487.

 Gouda             Gerard Leeu                            1477–1484.
                   Godfrey de Os                          1486.
                   Godfrey de Ghemen
                   Unnamed Printer                        1486.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

The Invention of Printing.: A Collection of Facts and Opinions, Descriptive of Early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, the Legend of Lourens Janszoon Coster, of Haarlem, and the Work of John Gutenberg and His Associates

De Vinne, Theodore Low

Incunabula -- Bibliography; Printing -- History -- Origin and antecedents

From the early records we can glean nothing which will demonstrate that
typography was practised in any part of the Netherlands before 1472.
The workmanship of all known Netherlandish printers after this date
is of every degree of merit and of demerit, but in all their books
it shows the impressions of types founded in moulds of hard metal,
and properly printed on a press, on both sides of the paper, and in
black ink. As it is a style of workmanship entirely unlike that of the
unknown printer, it is a proper inference that typography came into the
Netherlands, as it did into all other countries, through the pupils and
by the method of Gutenberg.

The table annexed will show how late was the beginning of typography in
the Netherlands. It also shows that printing “by the art that is now
used,” was introduced almost simultaneously in three different towns of
the Netherlands. In the year 1473, John of Westphalia was first printer
at Alost; [p324] the partners Ketelaer and De Leempt were at Utrecht;
and Veldener was at Louvain. Ketelaer and De Leempt were Netherlanders,
but there is no evidence to confirm the conjecture that they had been
instructed by the unknown printer. Veldener of Wurtzburg, John of
Westphalia, Colard Mansion, William Caxton, Arnold Ter Hoorne, Conrad
of Westphalia, Richard Paffroed, Conrad Braem, and Hermann of Nassau
were graduates from printing offices at Cologne.[181] It is possible
that Thierry Martens also was taught typography in the same city. We
have many evidences that Cologne was the school of typography for the
Netherlands.

[Illustration:

THE TOWNS AND CITIES OF THE NETHERLANDS IN WHICH PRINTING OFFICES WERE
ESTABLISHED DURING THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

[From Holtrop.]

 Utrecht           Nicholas Ketelaer, Gerard de Leempt,   1473–1474.

                   William Hees                           1475.
                   John Veldener                          1478–1481.
 Alost             John of Westphalia                     1473–1474.
                   Thierry Martens                        1474–1490.

 Louvain           John Veldener                          1473–1477.
                   John of Westphalia                     1474–1496.
                   Conrad Braem                           1475–1481.
                   Conrad of Westphalia                   1476.
                   Hermann of Nassau, Rud. Loeffs,        1483.
                   Egidius van der Heerstraten            1485–1488.
                   Louis de Ravescot                      1488.
                   Thierry Martens                        1498–1500.

 Brussels          Brotherhood of the Life-in-Common,     1476–1487.

 Gouda             Gerard Leeu                            1477–1484.
                   Godfrey de Os                          1486.
                   Godfrey de Ghemen
                   Unnamed Printer                        1486.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Invention of Printing.: A Collection of Facts and Opinions, Descriptive of Early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, the Legend of Lourens Janszoon Coster, of Haarlem, and the Work of John Gutenberg and His Associates

The Invention of Printing.: A Collection of Facts and Opinions, Descriptive of Early Prints and Playing Cards, the Block-Books of the Fifteenth Century, the Legend of Lourens Janszoon Coster, of Haarlem, and the Work of John Gutenberg and His Associates

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