[align=justify][box_out][box_in] Although Leiden was not a large commercial center, the first used-book auction in the Netherlands occurred there in 1599. Historian Bert van Selm suggests this innovation occurred there because Leiden was then the only major Dutch city where booksellers were not subject to a guild, that is, a trade association that, while designed to protect its members’ interests, also regulated their work activities.
Arguably, however, it was the shrewd strategy of Leiden bookseller Louis Elsevier—not the absence of guild regulation of booksellers’ activities—that was the decisive factor. Elsevier sought and received official permission from the government audit office of Holland province to hold the auction, even though the Leiden local government and the Sint Lukas guild (for artists) were opposed. The Grote Zaal (great hall), where he intended to hold the auctions, was owned by the Court of Holland, not Leiden.
Leiden booksellers first had a guild in 1652,
...
Arguably, however, it was the shrewd strategy of Leiden bookseller Louis Elsevier—not the absence of guild regulation of booksellers’ activities—that was the decisive factor. Elsevier sought and received official permission from the government audit office of Holland province to hold the auction, even though the Leiden local government and the Sint Lukas guild (for artists) were opposed. The Grote Zaal (great hall), where he intended to hold the auctions, was owned by the Court of Holland, not Leiden.
Leiden booksellers first had a guild in 1652,
...
Statistics : Posted by Bunuel • on 08 Mar 2024, 11:08 • Replies 0 • Views 90
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