the first history of the origins of newspaper advertising

Arthur der Weduwen and Andrew Pettegree, THE DUTCH REPUBLIC AND THE BIRTH OF MODERN ADVERTISING (Leiden: Brill, 2020)

The history of newspaper advertising began in the seventeenth-century Low Countries. The newspaper publishers of the Dutch Republic were the first to embrace advertisements, decades before their peers in other news markets in Europe. In this survey, Andrew Pettegree and I have brought together the first 6,000 advertisements placed in Dutch and Flemish newspapers between 1620 and 1675. Provided here in an English translation, and accompanied by seven indices, this work provides for the first time a complete overview of the development of newspaper advertising and its impact on the Dutch book trade, economy and society. In these evocative announcements, ranging from advertisements for library auctions, the publication of new books, pamphlets and maps to notices of crime, postal schedules or missing pets, the seventeenth century is brought to life. This survey offers a unique perspective on daily life, personal relationships and societal change in the Dutch Golden Age.

The Dutch Republic and the Birth of Modern Advertising is accompanied by a 650-page survey which includes an English translation of the first 6,000 advertisements to be placed in Dutch and Flemish newspapers, as well as seven detailed indices. This survey is available with Brill as News, Business and Public Information. Advertisements and Announcements in Dutch and Flemish Newspapers, 1620-1675.