Bladzijden uit een Deventer almanak voor het schrikkeljaar 1596 c. 1596

These pages from a Deventer almanac were printed in 1596 in the Netherlands, a leap year edition, using movable type on paper. Almanacs like this one were important sources of information for the rising merchant class in the Netherlands. They provided calendars, astronomical data, and tide tables, essential for trade and navigation. The almanac reflects the cultural and economic interests of its time. Deventer, as a Hanseatic city, was a hub of commerce and intellectual exchange. The printing press itself was an institution that drove the spread of knowledge and literacy, and it played a key role in the Reformation and the rise of a more informed public. You see this in the typeface and layout that is both utilitarian, for the merchant's use, but also aesthetically pleasing. Understanding these pages requires delving into the history of printing, the social history of the Netherlands, and the economic history of trade and navigation. It's a reminder that art and printed matter are always embedded in specific social and institutional contexts.