Home History Chapter 8. The Transformation of the Typical Page in the Handpress Era in the Southern Netherlands, 1473–c. 1800
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Chapter 8. The Transformation of the Typical Page in the Handpress Era in the Southern Netherlands, 1473–c. 1800

  • Goran Proot
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Explore this Subject How to publish with us
Impagination – Layout and Materiality of Writing and Publication
This chapter is in the book Impagination – Layout and Materiality of Writing and Publication

Abstract

This chapter discusses how the layout of the typical page in handpress books evolves between the introduction of the handpress in the Southern Netherlands and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It links this constant and delicate transformation to changing societal needs and developments, which are in turn reinforced themselves by changing book design. The fundamental argument in this contribution is that the book was, is, and will always be a cultural instrument at the service of the community, and a deeper understanding of its layout requires an understanding of its function within user’s communities, in which economy and tradition keep each other in pace. The longue durée of this survey is essential, because typically typographical evolutions are slow and delicate. Elements of page design include the three dimensions of paper, the relationships between book block and text block, text and paratext, and navigation features both in Latin and vernacular (mainly Dutch) editions. Title pages are not included in this survey. Furthermore, the focus is on the common book - not on the sometimes unrepresentative highlights of printing.

Abstract

This chapter discusses how the layout of the typical page in handpress books evolves between the introduction of the handpress in the Southern Netherlands and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It links this constant and delicate transformation to changing societal needs and developments, which are in turn reinforced themselves by changing book design. The fundamental argument in this contribution is that the book was, is, and will always be a cultural instrument at the service of the community, and a deeper understanding of its layout requires an understanding of its function within user’s communities, in which economy and tradition keep each other in pace. The longue durée of this survey is essential, because typically typographical evolutions are slow and delicate. Elements of page design include the three dimensions of paper, the relationships between book block and text block, text and paratext, and navigation features both in Latin and vernacular (mainly Dutch) editions. Title pages are not included in this survey. Furthermore, the focus is on the common book - not on the sometimes unrepresentative highlights of printing.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. List of Figures VII
  4. List of Tables XIII
  5. List of Contributors XV
  6. Introduction 1
  7. I Slips, Scrolls, and Leaves: Before the Codex
  8. Chapter 1. Text and Paratext in the Greek Classical Tradition 23
  9. Chapter 2. Tabernacles of Text: A Brief Visual History of the Hebrew Bible 47
  10. Chapter 3. Impagination, Reading, and Interpretation in Early Chinese Texts 93
  11. Chapter 4. Sūtra Text in Pecha Format: Page Layout of the Tibetan Vimalakīrtinirdeśa 111
  12. Chapter 5. Between the Lines and in the Margins: Linguistic Change and Impagination Practices in South Asia 151
  13. II The Printed World
  14. Chapter 6. The Margin as Canvas: A Forgotten Function of the Early Printed Page 185
  15. Chapter 7. Page Layout and the Complex Semiotic System of Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Chosŏn’s Samganghaengsildo 209
  16. Chapter 8. The Transformation of the Typical Page in the Handpress Era in the Southern Netherlands, 1473–c. 1800 237
  17. Chapter 9. Writer’s Block or Printer’s Block: The Book and Its Openings in Early Modern China 273
  18. Chapter 10. Placing Texts on Chinese Pages: From Bamboo Slips to Printed Paper 301
  19. Chapter 11. Recovering Translation Lost: Symbiosis and Ambilingual Design in Chinese/Manchu Language Reference Manuals of the Qing Dynasty 323
  20. Chapter 12. Japanophone Glosses (kunten) in Printed and Digitized Manuscripts 351
  21. III Beyond the Book
  22. Chapter 13. Beyond the Physical Page: Latest Practice of Scientific Publication 377
  23. Index 399
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110698756-009

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. List of Figures VII
  4. List of Tables XIII
  5. List of Contributors XV
  6. Introduction 1
  7. I Slips, Scrolls, and Leaves: Before the Codex
  8. Chapter 1. Text and Paratext in the Greek Classical Tradition 23
  9. Chapter 2. Tabernacles of Text: A Brief Visual History of the Hebrew Bible 47
  10. Chapter 3. Impagination, Reading, and Interpretation in Early Chinese Texts 93
  11. Chapter 4. Sūtra Text in Pecha Format: Page Layout of the Tibetan Vimalakīrtinirdeśa 111
  12. Chapter 5. Between the Lines and in the Margins: Linguistic Change and Impagination Practices in South Asia 151
  13. II The Printed World
  14. Chapter 6. The Margin as Canvas: A Forgotten Function of the Early Printed Page 185
  15. Chapter 7. Page Layout and the Complex Semiotic System of Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Chosŏn’s Samganghaengsildo 209
  16. Chapter 8. The Transformation of the Typical Page in the Handpress Era in the Southern Netherlands, 1473–c. 1800 237
  17. Chapter 9. Writer’s Block or Printer’s Block: The Book and Its Openings in Early Modern China 273
  18. Chapter 10. Placing Texts on Chinese Pages: From Bamboo Slips to Printed Paper 301
  19. Chapter 11. Recovering Translation Lost: Symbiosis and Ambilingual Design in Chinese/Manchu Language Reference Manuals of the Qing Dynasty 323
  20. Chapter 12. Japanophone Glosses (kunten) in Printed and Digitized Manuscripts 351
  21. III Beyond the Book
  22. Chapter 13. Beyond the Physical Page: Latest Practice of Scientific Publication 377
  23. Index 399
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 29.10.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110698756-009/html
Scroll to top button