The Amsterdam House Louis and Daniël Elsevier

Abstract

The Amsterdam branch of the Elsevier house was established in 1638 by Louis Elsevier, son of Joost, who before removing to Amsterdam had been employed by his relatives at Leyden. He conducted the business alone until 1655, when he was joined by his cousin Daniël, and from that date, or soon after, the Amsterdam house was the chief Elsevier establishment. As the reader will remember, this was not the only branch establishment; there had been ventures at Utrecht and Copenhagen. The Amsterdam offshoot was the biggest and most successful, partly because Amsterdam was thriving and prosperous, one of the most important commercial centers of Europe. Back in 1585 the Spanish had recaptured Antwerp from rebellious Netherlanders. The Dutch, who controlled the mouth of the Scheldt, promptly closed it to shipping, and strangled the commercial life of Antwerp. Amsterdam largely inherited the commerce. The war with Spain brought other advantages.