Statue of Laurens Janszoon Coster on the Grote Markt in Haarlem, where he was born.

Laurens Janszoon Coster (b. ca. 1370, Haarlem, the Netherlands – d. ca. 1440) was one of the early European printers. He was an important citizen of Haarlem and held the position of sexton (Koster) of Sint-Bavokerk. He is mentioned in contempory documents as an assessor (scabinus), and as the city treasurer. He probably perished in the plague that visited Haarlem in 1439-1440; his widow is mentioned in the latter year. Download high resolution version (600x950, 125 KB)Statue of Laurens Janszoon Coster on the Grote Markt in Haarlem. ... Download high resolution version (600x950, 125 KB)Statue of Laurens Janszoon Coster on the Grote Markt in Haarlem. ... ... ... ... The word sexton has several uses: A sexton is an official largely concerned with church maintenance The sexton was a self-propelled artillery vehicle of World War II. Anne Sexton was an American poet. ... The Grote Markt in 1696, painting by Gerrit Adriaensz. ...

Some claim he was the first European to invent the printing press, although the little evidence there is about this matter seems to show that Johann Gutenberg preceded him. Either way, he is somewhat of a local "hero", and next to a statue on the Grote Markt his name can be found in many places in the city. The printing press is a mechanical device for printing many copies of a text on rectangular sheets of paper. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ...

There are no works certainly printed by Laurens, however there is a tradition that he was carving letters from bark for the amusement of his grandchildren, and observed that the letters left impressions on the sand. This is said to have occurred in the 1420s. He is said to have printed several books including Speculum Humanæ Salvationis with several assistants including Johann Fust, and it was Fust who, when Laurens was nearing death, stole his presses and type and took them to Mainz where he entered partnership with Gutenburg. Events and Trends Categories: 1420s ... Johann Fust ( died 1466) was an early German printer. ... Mainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. ...

The earlist description of this story dates from 1568 in a history by Hadrianus Junius, a Dutch intellectual.

His last name, Coster, is sometimes written as Koster. The middle name, meaning 'son of Jan', is sometimes abbreviated to 'Jansz.'

References

• The Legend of Koster

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...