Dutch term – Boekhandelaar

A boekhandelaar is a book trader or bookstore owner.

Until recent times, a large part of the population was illiterate and book traders could only be found in larger cities. Many book traders were also publishers. Estate inventories in notarial records can show us if our ancestors owned any books, sometimes including the titles.

bookstore

Bookstore in Amsterdam, 1820. Credits: Johannes Jelgerhuis, collection Rijksmuseum (public domain)

About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer in the Netherlands. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certification of Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials. Yvette served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and won excellence awards for her articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. Yvette has been doing genealogy for over 30 years. She helps people from across the world find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

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