Drie decennia boekenzorg. Cornelis vander Plasse en Gerbrand Bredero

At the time of Gerbrand Adriaensz. Bredero’s death in 1618, many of his songs, poetry and a few (unfinished) plays were left behind unpublished. Cornelis Lodewijcksz. Vander Plasse (1585-1641), an Amsterdamse book seller and publisher, became fascinated, like many of his fellow citizens, by the literary world that Bredero had shapen. He made great efforts, during Bredero’s lifetime and especially after his death, to gather alle the texts that remained, to complete them, and to publish all the material, even the smallest pieces.
This article is concerned with the way in which this Amsterdam publisher took decisions both to comply with the work by his deceased friend and to derive maximum benefit from publication of his work. Which problems did he encounter and which solutions did he came up with?
After Bredero’s jocular songs have been proven successful, Vander Plasse decided to publish the third edition of Bredero’s little songbook. It contained only his songs, witty and funny little stories in songs about farmers and silly servants and maids. In an introduction Bredero announces a larger song book with amorous songs, but due to Bredero’s death, it did not appear. The fourth edition is the earliest still existing one, the Geestigh liedt-boecxken (Merry Song Book) from 1621, a slim, small-format volume. This posthumous booklet contains songs in accordance with Bredero’s choice, as far as it is in agreement with the content of the third edition. But the influence of Vander Plasse is apparent in a final part `new religious songs’. It is not quite clear whether this addition is meant to make this compilation even more varied or that Vander Plasse wanted new readers. In any case, the next year the expensive Groot lied-boeck (5th edition) appeared, a status symbol, richly ornamented with varied typography and illustrations. Many songs were added and it is divided in the same three volumes: `Boertigh, Amoreus, en Aendachtigh’, witty songs, love songs and devotional songs.
The combination of a great rush and the publication of what the publisher could find of Bredero’s writings, led to errors and mistakes. Vander Plasse published songs and poetry that was not made by Bredero, or that the latter had not written for publication. Moreover, some of it was never intended for public consumption in such a volume. At the end of his life, the publisher presented a monumental edition: the complete work (1638), even with a completely new play by Bredero, never printed before. It was the culmination of decades of intensive preparation and efforts involving, in some cases, large numbers of people in a network of other writers, engravers and printers.
The introductionary part of the complete work has a remarkable focus on the classical tradition. The dedication describes the valuation of drama in Antiquity, a characterization of classical tragedy and comedy, and a judgment about Bredero’s talent in comparison with classical comedy authors. It foreshadows a large introduction, translated from a French text, about the history of theatre in Antiquity, the classical genres, locations, actors, theatre clothes, and the design of the stage and the scenery. Apparently, Vander Plasse used this `erudite’ discourse about the classical theater to give Bredero’s oeuvre a special cachet by suggesting that it belonged to the same classical tradition. Bredero was a `Terence redivivus’.
It has been demonstrated how paratexts reflect the personal relation of publisher and poet, next to usual commendations that remind us to commercial self-interest. Vander Plasse wanted to introduce his readers to the person Bredero who he had spoken, with whom he had made agreements.
On the basis of the analysis of titlepages, paratexts and laudatory poems, it has become clear that thoughtfulness and commitment are keywords in this relationship, next to fanatism and negligence. Where this vice of Vander Plasse was caused by force majeure, due to the little systematic character of the manuscripts deposited, it seems less culpable than where the publisher makes false or misleading claims about literary work yet to be published, e.g. in an introduction that he took over unchanged from an earlier publication.
From the paratexts we may draw the conclusion that the commitment to his friend concerned the publisher himself, but he also imposed it on his readers. They were bombarded with book announcements, explanations of his actions and decisions. Vander Plasse’s faithful passion to collect all texts has supplied us about half of Bredero’s total oeuvre after August 1618, including all farces and the songbook. One of his strategies was to let the new material reach the faithful group of readers only little by little. With that he proved himself a full expert in marketing and advertising, as well as the one who has layd the foundation of Bredero’s reputation as one of our main seventeenth-century poets.
The overall picture seems to be that this Amsterdam publisher has taken on the role of advisor during Bredero’s life. He launched initiatives, consulted and decided on publication, from within his network. After the death of the author he was, in a different way, organiser, conservator, and he kept an overview of the whole process of production, distribution and consumption for over two decades.