page_title: Laurens Janszoon Coster
section_title: Biography
hierarchical_section_title: Laurens Janszoon Coster / Biography
caption_attribution_description: English: 1628 version of Haarlem printing press from 1440 (Invention of Laurens Jansz Coster) Nederlands: Koperplaat uit het boek Petri Scriverii Lavre-Kranz Voor Lavrens Koster Van Haerlem, Eerste Vinder vande Boek-Druckerye. door Adriaen Rooman, Ordinaris Stads-Boekdrucker, [1628], Te Haerlem.
context_page_description: Laurens Janszoon Coster, or Laurens Jansz Koster, is the purported inventor of a printing press from Haarlem. He allegedly
  invented printing simultaneously with Johannes Gutenberg and is regarded by some in the Netherlands as having invented printing first.
context_section_description: He was an important citizen of Haarlem and held the position of sexton (Koster) of Sint-Bavokerk. He is mentioned in contemporary 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.
  There are no known works printed by Laurens.
caption: Illustration from a pamphlet by Petrus Scriverius, 1628
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