Hendrick Hondius and the business of prints in seventeenth-century holland

What were the activities of a print publisher in the seventeenth century? Did he design prints? Engrave them? Buy engraved plates from others? Print them? Sell them in his shop? Or only finance their creation? Did prints reflect his own ideas, those of the designer, the engraver, his patrons or his public?

This book attempts to answer these questions and others by giving a rare glimpse into the activities of Hendrick Hondius, active in The Hague during the first half of the seventeenth-century. This publisher's broad stock of prints and varied other ventures reflect many of the trends and interests shared by contemporary print publishers throughout the United Provinces.


The book also includes an annotated list of all the prints and books to come out of Hondius' shop with the exception of those he engraved himself, which have been fully catalogued in the recent volume of the New Hollstein Series of Hondius by the same author.

By Nadine orenstein

ISBN: 978-90-75607-04-8
Price € 135 / $ 175

Add to cartDirect order