Titelpagina voor: A. de Castillo Solórzano, Het tweede deel van den doorsleepen bedrieger, 1669 1669

This is the title page for A. de Castillo Solórzano’s Het tweede deel van den doorsleepen bedrieger, printed in Amsterdam in 1669 by Baltes Boekholt. The process of printing, especially setting the individual letters, was painstaking. Each character was a separate piece of metal, carefully arranged and then inked to leave an impression on the page. Look closely and you'll see the slight variations in pressure, the subtle imperfections that give away its handmade quality. In the 17th century, the printing press was a powerful engine of commerce and, of course, communication. Publishing ventures like Boekholt’s required a workforce, from the typesetters to the press operators to the bookbinders. All of them played a part in bringing this story of trickery and deceit to the reading public. Next time you pick up a book, remember that even the simplest page reflects a complex web of labor, skill, and material. It's a small reminder that everything we see, especially in the world of art and design, is the product of human effort.