Book prices from the Officina Plantiniana in a comparative perspective (1586–1631)

In this contribution we focus on the following questions. First, how did average book prices change over time at the Officina Plantiniana in Antwerp in the period 1581 and 1655? Second, how do book prices relate to people’s fluctuating income, their wages and rents? Third, how did book prices fixed by the Officina Plantiniana compare to prices of their competitors elsewhere in Europe, and more specifically, of books produced in the German-speaking area? Answers to these questions will help to understand the status of the books produced by the famous Officina Plantiniana during the last years of its founder, Christopher Plantin, and the business operation directed by his successors after July 1589, and help to put it in a broader, international perspective.