Dicht en ondicht 1874

This book, "Dicht en Ondicht," or “Dense and Sparse” by Johannes Petrus Hasebroek, printed in Amsterdam in 1874, may at first seem a humble thing. Yet its material presence speaks volumes about 19th-century society. Consider the paper itself. Before industrialization, paper was a precious commodity, made by hand from rags. By the time this book was printed, paper manufacture was mechanized, reliant on wood pulp. This made books more affordable and accessible, but also displaced countless artisans. The printed text, too, is a product of skilled labor, from the typesetters who arranged the individual letters to the press operators who inked and pressed each page. The book's very existence is a testament to the complex web of industry, labor, and consumption that defined the era. By considering these factors, we recognize that even seemingly simple objects have stories to tell.