48 Opregte Leydse Courant Leiden, 1686–1700

Leiden was one of the great cities of the Dutch Repub- likely stimulated by the death of his brother, Adriaen (I) lic. Located at the heart of urban Holland, Leiden was the van Gaesbeeck (1641–1686), on 8 February 1686. Adriaen most populous city in the country after Amsterdam, the had been the publisher of the Amsterdamsche Courant foremost scholarly centre of the Dutch Republic and an since 1682, and the brothers had worked together on a international beacon of Protestant learning. It was also the variety of projects in Amsterdam and Leiden in the past second centre of the Dutch book trade and an important decades.3 Now Daniel sought to continue the family’s hub for the cloth trade. Leiden was in many respects a per- engagement in the newspaper trade, albeit in Leiden. fect location for the publication of a newspaper. Yet the It is probable that Daniel van Gaesbeeck was able to first Dutch newspaper to be published in Leiden appeared benefit from some of his brother’s former connections only in 1686—by which point Dutch newspapers had as courantier. Daniel van Gaesbeeck was the first news- already appeared in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Delft, Utrecht, paper publisher to start with a tri-weekly schedule of The Hague, Weesp, Haarlem and Rotterdam. Throughout publication—his Leiden newspaper appeared on Tues- the century the supply of newspapers from Amsterdam, days, Thursdays and Saturdays.4 This was a venture which Haarlem and The Hague (all well connected to Leiden by required significant investment in a network of corre- barge) ensured that the citizens of Leiden had easy access spondents and distributors. Moreover, Van Gaesbeeck’s to competing titles. The booksellers of Leiden, dedicated newspaper was the first in the Dutch Republic to feature to scholarly endeavours, had little interest in challenging an advertisement in the very first issue; the second and these ventures in the news market. third issues even featured multiple advertisements. This This changed on Saturday 30 March 1686, when the was unusual, given that newspapermen generally had to printer-publisher Daniel van Gaesbeeck (1634–1693) pre- build up a reputation and a distribution network before sented the first issue of the Ordinaris Leidse Courant. Van customers were willing to place advertisements. In all Gaesbeeck had been granted the right to publish a Dutch likelihood Daniel van Gaesbeeck contacted former corre- newspaper by the magistrates of Leiden two weeks ear- spondents and distributors of Adriaen’s Amsterdamsche lier.1 After a few issues Van Gaesbeeck settled for the title Courant in order to build a sustainable foundation. Nev- Ordinaire Leydse Courant. The newspaper appeared as a ertheless, Daniel found it appropriate to mention to the folded quarto pamphlet of four unnumbered pages, signed reader of the first issue that his “news would expand and consecutively throughout; this was the same style used improve”,as not all correspondence had arrived in time for by the Utrechtse Courant, and by most newspapers in the publication.5 Holy Roman Empire and France. A prominent woodcut Despite his family connections, Daniel van Gaesbeeck emblem of the city of Leiden adorned the first page of the did not last long as courantier. On 9 August 1686, after four newspaper. months of publication, Van Gaesbeeck sold the rights of Van Gaesbeeck, located at the city’s most elegant the Leiden newspaper to Lodewijck vander Saen (c. 1655- address, the Rapenburg, had been active in the Leiden ?); on 13 August the imprint of the newspaper reflected book world since 1655, during which time he had focused this change.6 Little is known of this second publisher: orig- exclusively on the scholarly trade. Before 1686 Van Gaes- inally from Hungary, Vander Saen registered in 1678 as a beeck had published over 160 titles, of which only a few twenty-three year old student of philosophy at Leiden Uni- were vernacular publications; the remainder were aca- demic disputations, works of Latin philosophy, histories, 3 See chapter 43. editions of the classics and medical tracts.2 Van Gaes- 4 The other tri-weeklies of the seventeenth century started as beeck’s diversification into the news industry was most weeklies (Oprechte Haerlemse Courant) or bi-weeklies (Europische Courant and Amsterdamsche Courant). 5 1686 No. 1 Ordinaris Leidse Saturdagse Courant. 30.03.1686. 1 Sautijn Kluit, ‘De Hollandsche Leidsche courant’, p. 5. I am grateful 6 Sautijn Kluit, ‘De Hollandsche Leidsche courant’, pp. 7–8. The to Professor Paul Hoftijzer for his generous advice on the Leiden imprint now read: “printed by Daniel van Gaesbeeck, for Lodewi- publishers mentioned in this introduction. jck van der Saen, ordinary courantier of the city of Leiden, on the 2 See the STCN. Breestraat.” leiden, 1686–1700 1447 versity, having arrived from Mannheim. In 1678 Vander In 1689 the Opregte Leydse Courant changed hands once Saen lived at the house of the postmaster of the city, Nico- more. Jacob van Huysduynen (fl. 1689–1719) was appointed las Clignet.7 as courantier by the magistrates on 15 December 1689.9 It is uncertain why Van Gaesbeeck sold the rights to Nothing is known about Jacob van Huysduynen before his paper. Perhaps he underestimated the efforts required his arrival as courantier; and no other publications apart to publish a tri-weekly. In any case, he continued to par- from the Opregte Leydse Courant have survived from his ticipate in the venture as the printer of the newspa- press. Although he continued to publish the newspa- per. Under Vander Saen’s editorship the Leiden newspa- per until his death in 1719, Van Huysduynen is a truly per underwent various changes. At the start of 1687 the elusive figure. Sautijn Kluit states that Van Huysduynen title of the newspaper was changed to the Opregte Leydse was mentioned in 1693 on a list of 150 Leiden notables, Courant, and the newspaper now appeared as an unfolded lawyers, preachers and professors who received an exemp- double-sided folio leaf, rather than the quarto pamphlet tion from local excise.10 We also know that Van Huysduy- format. Vander Saen opted for the more conventional nen owned only one printing press; unlike his rivals in style of the Haarlem and Amsterdam newspapers—the Haarlem and Amsterdam, who printed their newspapers most prominent newspapers available at the time. Fur- on two presses.11 thermore, Vander Saen changed the schedule of publica- While the new publisher maintained the unfolded folio tion from Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (the schedules format introduced by Lodewijck vander Saen, Van Huys- of the Haarlem and Amsterdam newspapers) to Monday, duynen did not initially number his issues. At first sight Wednesday and Friday. This change occurred at the end of this seems to be a strange development; numbered issues March, when he restarted the numbering sequence. This were a standard feature of most newspapers throughout was a shrewd adjustment, which will undoubtedly have Europe, and numbering was adopted by all Dutch news- strengthened the position of the OpregteLeydseCourant in papers from 1629 onwards. Perhaps Van Huysduynen was the national market. On Mondays and FridaysVander Saen following the lead of the Amsterdamsche Courant, which only competed with the bi-weekly Utrechtse Courant—he removed its numbering in 1689 and 1690. Sequential num- hadWednesdays all to himself.The prosperous and inquis- bering encouraged readers to subscribe, to buy regularly itive Dutch reader could now have access to a newspaper in order to follow events systematically, and to bind issues six days each week, and two newspapers on five days of together at the end of the year. Removing this feature may every week. have been intended to place a greater emphasis on the There is one curiosity regarding Vander Saen’s time as casual purchase of individual issues, and encourage occa- publisher: the first issue of 1687 was stated to have been sional impulse buying. printed by Adriaen van Gaesbeeck, rather than Daniel. The survival of the Opregte Leydse Courant under Van This Adriaen may have been Daniel’s son.8 Strangely, the Huysduynen certainly suggests that readers were happy to other two surviving issues of 1687, dated from 10 and purchase issues on a casual basis, or to subscribe to only 17 September, list Daniel van Gaesbeeck as printer once one issue each week. Almost all surviving issues published more. It is possible that the young Adriaen assisted in by Van Huysduynen are Monday issues. There are two Daniel’s shop, or that Daniel delegated the print work to near-complete runs of Monday issues, preserved in the his son, but this arrangement seems to have lasted only municipal archives in Leiden (1690–1695) and the Konin- briefly. klijke Bibliotheek in The Hague (1696–1700)—a total of No issues of the Opregte Leydse Courant survive for 1688 499 issues. Given the absence of overlap between these and 1689. The newspaper has suffered a relatively high two series, it is likely that both came from the same attrition rate for a tri-weekly: only 30% of the probable original collection. In comparison, only thirty-three Fri- total number of issues published (700 out of 2,350) can be day issues and forty-six Wednesday issues have survived, traced today, compared to 80% for the OprechteHaerlemse mostly in collections outside the Netherlands. Courant and 65% for the Amsterdamsche Courant. Fur- thermore, almost every single issue of the Leiden newspa- per is a unique survivor—only thirty-five issues survive in 9 Sautijn Kluit, ‘De Hollandsche Leidsche courant’, pp. 10–11. 10 Ibid., p. 11. two copies. 11 Paul Hoftijzer, ‘Veilig achter Minerva’s schild: Het Leidse boek in de zeventiende en achttiende eeuw’,in A. Bouwman, et. al. (eds.), 7 Ibid. StadvanBoeken.HandschriftendrukinLeiden1260–2000 (Leiden, 8 As Van Eeghen argues, in De Amsterdamse boekhandel, III, pp. 130– Primavera Pers/Uitgeverij Ginkgo, 2008), p. 167. See also chapters 131. 31 and 43.