As of 2018, Wolters Kluwer ranks as the Dutch biggest publisher of books in terms of revenue.[2][3][4] Other notable Dutch houses include Brill (est. 1683) and Elsevier (est. 1880).[5]
Printed books first appeared in the 1470s in places such as Delft, Deventer, Gouda, Nijmegen, Utrecht, Zwolle, and in the 1480s in places such as Haarlem, Leiden, and 's-Hertogenbosch.[6][7]
Among Dutch bestsellers are titles such as the 17th century "Lusthof des Gemoets" by Jan Philipsz Schabaelje.[8][9]
The Stichting Drukwerk in de Marge formed in 1975, and organizes an annual Boekkunstbeurs (book fair).[10] Bibliophiles in 1991 organized the Nederlands Genootschap van Bibliofielen.[11]
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization named Amsterdam the 2008 World Book Capital.
See also: List of libraries in the Netherlands |
The Leiden University Library began in 1575, and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (royal library) in The Hague in 1798. Since 1919, the Nederlandse Centrale Catalogus lists titles in Dutch libraries.