The Bookshop of the Counter-Reformation Revisited. The Verdussen Company and the Trade in Catholic Publications, Antwerp, 1585-1648

Abstract

After the Fall of Antwerp in 1585, the book trade in the Southern Netherlands was in decline. Some printing houses managed to stay in business by specialising in Counter-Reformation publications. One of these was the Verdussen firm. This article shows how the publishing strategies of the Verdussens changed in the course of the seventeenth century by elaborating two case studies, one from the period 1629-30, and an other from the years 1649-50. These two examples provide an insight into the organisation, geographical scope and importance of the book trade in two different sets of socio-economic circumstances. It also shows the significance of Antwerp as a hub in the Catholic book trade and highlights the creative solutions publishers made use of in order to keep their heads above water.