Lecture: Mark McConnell: Publishing Early Modern Science: Christophe Plantin

Naturalists in the Low Countries led the Botanical Renaissance of the later sixteenth century. Christophe Plantin’s publishing a was major force behind this, including the works of Rembert Dodoens, Mathias L’Obel and Carolus Clusius. Plantin’s opportunity arose amidst the trends of his day, including the emergence of scientific illustration out of the traditions of Netherlandish art; Antwerp’s position as Europe’s financial center and as entrepot for Spanish and Portuguese voyages; and the rise of horticulture and ornamental gardens in the Low Countries. Mark McConnell will examine Plantin’s entry into botanical publishing from a business perspective, sharing insights into Plantin’s strategy from his database of Plantin’s publishing costs and from the sales records in the Plantin archive.