Laurens Janszoon Coster facts for kids
Laurens Janszoon Coster (around 1370 – around 1440) was from Haarlem, a city in the Netherlands. Some people believe he invented the printing press. They say he created printing at the same time as Johannes Gutenberg. For a long time, many in the Netherlands thought Coster was the very first inventor of printing.
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Laurens Coster's Life
Laurens Coster was an important person in Haarlem. He worked as a sexton (Koster) at the Sint-Bavokerk church. A sexton helps manage the church. Records from 1417 to 1434 show he was part of the city council. He also served as a judge and the city's treasurer.
Laurens Coster likely died during a serious plague. This sickness hit Haarlem in 1439 and 1440. His wife is mentioned in records from 1440. There are no books or papers that are definitely known to have been printed by Laurens Coster himself.
The Story by Hadrianus Junius
A writer named Hadrianus Junius told a famous story about Coster. He wrote it around 1567 in his book Batavia. This book was published in 1588. Junius lived in Haarlem from 1550. He was a doctor for the city and a historian.
According to Junius, Coster was in a forest called the Haarlemmerhout. This was around the 1420s. He was carving letters from tree bark for his grandchildren. He noticed the letters left marks in the sand. This gave him an idea.
Coster then supposedly invented a new kind of ink. This ink did not smudge. He started a printing business. He used a simple way to arrange movable letters. At first, he used wooden letters. Later, he used letters made of lead and tin.
His printing business grew and did well. Junius claimed Coster printed several books. One book was called Speculum Humanae Salvationis. He had helpers, including a letter cutter named Johann Fust. Junius's story says that Fust broke a promise. When Coster was close to dying, Fust supposedly stole his presses and letters. Fust then took them to Mainz and started his own printing company.
The Story by Ulrich Zell
Another account supports the idea that printing started in the Netherlands. In 1499, an old printing helper named Ulrich Zell shared his story. He was from Cologne. Zell said printing began in Mainz. He knew that Holland used to print Latin grammar books called Donatus.
This old story does not mention Coster or Haarlem directly. If it is true, it suggests that Johann Gutenberg started printing about ten years after Coster died. However, the first book definitely printed by Dutch printers is from 1471. This was long after Gutenberg.
Even so, Laurens Coster is seen as a local hero in Haarlem. You can find his name in many places in the city. There is also a statue of him in the Grote Markt square.
Early Printers in Haarlem
Between 1483 and 1486, a printer named Jacob Bellaert worked in Haarlem. His books were known for their beautiful woodcuts. Haarlem, Gouda, and Delft were all cities with early printing presses. This was partly because these cities did not have strong religious groups or universities. These places often had many people copying books by hand.
Bellaert did not have much success, though. There were few buyers for his books in the Nederduits language. Most people who could afford books wanted them in French. French was the common language of the ruling classes.
One strong piece of evidence for Gutenberg is in Mainz. The city has a first edition of Erasmus' book, The Praise of Folly. This book was written in Gouda but printed in Mainz in 1511. The earliest printed book from the Netherlands that has a certain date is from 1473. It is kept in the Museum Meermanno-Westreenianum and was printed in Utrecht, not Haarlem.
Celebrating Coster's Legacy
In 1740, a man named Martin Holtzhey made a special medal. It celebrated 300 years of printing and Coster's invention. The medal showed symbols and the shields of four Haarlem mayors. These mayors were Anthony van Styrum, Pieter van der Camer, Jan van Dyck, and Cornelis Ascanius van Sypesteyn. This medal helped start a tradition of making special medals in Haarlem.
In 1823, Haarlem celebrated the 400th anniversary of Coster's invention. They put up a monument in the Haarlemmerhout forest. The monument has Latin writings and a Dutch message. It also has "A" symbols at the top.
A man named Abraham de Vries organized this celebration. He was a big fan of Coster. De Vries became Haarlem's first librarian in 1821. He was asked by the city to collect things related to Coster. Professor David Jacob van Lennep supported De Vries. He believed the Coster legend. Van Lennep helped get money from the city council for the monument.
After the French occupied the Netherlands from 1794 to 1815, Haarlem's economy was very bad. The city council wanted a local hero to inspire people.
Joh. Enschedé Printing Company
Behind the St. Bavochurch in Haarlem was the printing factory of Joh. Enschedé. From 1737 to 1940, this company printed the local newspaper, the Oprechte Haerlemsche Courant. After 1810, it also became a place that printed banknotes and postage stamps.
Supporting the Coster legend became a way to promote one of Haarlem's most important businesses. The Enschedé company gave tours of their printing presses. In 1904, they even opened the Museum Enschedé. Today, you can still see items related to Coster. These are kept in the Haarlem Public Library, the Museum Enschedé, and the Teyler's Museum.
Images for kids
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A statue of Laurens Janszoon Coster in Haarlem. He holds the letter "A" high.
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The Coster monument in the Haarlemmerhout, built in 1823.
See also
In Spanish: Laurens Janszoon Coster para niños
