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Laurens Janszoon Coster, Dutch Inventor

Laurens Janszoon Coster (1370 - 1440) is the name of a purported inventor of a printing press from Haarlem. He discovered printing simultaneously with Gutenberg and is regarded in the Netherlands as having invented printing first. According to Hadrianus Junius, sometime in the 1420s, Coster was in the Haarlemmerhout carving letters from bark for the amusement of his grandchildren, and observed that the letters left impressions on the sand. He proceeded to invent a new type of ink that didn't run, and he began a printing company based on his invention with a primitive typesetting arrangement using moveable type. Using wooden letters at first, he later used lead and tin movable type. His company prospered and grew. He is said to have printed several books including Speculum Humanae Salvationis with several assistants including the letter cutter Johann Fust (often spelled Faust) who, when Laurens was nearing death, broke his promise of secrecy and stole his presses and type and started his own printing company. Coster probably perished in the plague that visited Haarlem in 1439-40. There are no known works printed by Laurens. Illustration from Vies Des Savants Illustrates, Savants Du Moyen-Age by Louis Figuier, 1883.

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Title: Laurens Janszoon Coster, Dutch Inventor

Caption: Laurens Janszoon Coster (1370 - 1440) is the name of a purported inventor of a printing press from Haarlem. He discovered printing simultaneously with Gutenberg and is regarded in the Netherlands as having invented printing first. According to Hadrianus Junius, sometime in the 1420s, Coster was in the Haarlemmerhout carving letters from bark for the amusement of his grandchildren, and observed that the letters left impressions on the sand. He proceeded to invent a new type of ink that didn't run, and he began a printing company based on his invention with a primitive typesetting arrangement using moveable type. Using wooden letters at first, he later used lead and tin movable type. His company prospered and grew. He is said to have printed several books including Speculum Humanae Salvationis with several assistants including the letter cutter Johann Fust (often spelled Faust) who, when Laurens was nearing death, broke his promise of secrecy and stole his presses and type and started his own printing company. Coster probably perished in the plague that visited Haarlem in 1439-40. There are no known works printed by Laurens. Illustration from Vies Des Savants Illustrates, Savants Du Moyen-Age by Louis Figuier, 1883.

Category: ILLUSTRATION • black & white • Science: Personalities • History: Personalities

Credit: Album / Science Source

Releases: ? Model Release: No - ? Property Release: No
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Image size: 2705 × 4200 px | 32.5 MB

Print size: 22.9 × 35.6 cm | 1065.0 × 1653.5 in (300 dpi)

Keywords: 14TH CENTURY • 14TH CENTURY, THE • 15TH CENTURY • ART • ARTWORK • BLACK & WHITE • BOOK PRINTER • BW • CELEBRITIES • CELEBRITY • COSTER • DRAWING • DUTCH • EUROPEA • EUROPEAN • EUROPEANS • FAMOUS PEOPLE • FAMOUS • FIGUIER • FIGURE • HISTORIC • HISTORICAL • HISTORY • HISTORY: PERSONALITIES • ILLUSTRATION • ILLUSTRATIONS • ILUSTRATION • IMPORTANT • IMPRESOR • INVENTION • INVENTOR (MALE) • INVENTOR • JANSZ • JANSZOON • KOSTER • LAURENS JANSZ KOSTER • LAURENS JANSZOON COSTER • LAURENS • LIVES OF SCIENTISTS • LOUIS FIGUIER • MALE • MAN • MEDIEVAL • MEN • MIDDLE AGES • NEDERLANDER • NETHERLANDER • NOTABLE • PEOPLE • PERSON • PERSONALITIES • PERSONALITY • PRINTER • PRINTING PRESS • PUBLISHER • SAVANTS DU MOYEN-AGE • SCHOLARS OF THE MIDDLE AGES • SCIENCE: PERSONALITIES • TRADE: PRINTER • VIES DES SAVANTS ILLUSTRATES • WELL-KNOWN