This book is structured according to economic sector and chronological development (8 chapters). 1 Introduction 1.1 Cultural production in the Golden Age 1.2 Cultural industries 1.3 Spatial clusters 1.4 Datasets 1.5 Outline of the book 2 Window of opportunity, 1580-1610 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The Dutch Revolt, an external shock 2.3 New publishers, new markets 2.4 New markets, new products 2.5 The organisation of the trade 2.6 Conclusion 3 Unlocking potential in the book industry, 1610-1660 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Democratisation of demand 3.3 Paper, type and copy 3.4 Local specialization 3.5 Financial administration 3.6 Guild regulations and auctions 3.7 Censorship and privileges 3.8 Competition 3.9 Conclusion 4 Publishers in search of new markets, 1660-1800 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Domestic demand 4.3 Internationalisation 4.4 Related and supporting industries 4.5 Partnerships, mergers, and financial tricks 4.6 Guilds, from production to trade 4.7 Skills and routines 4.8 Competition 4.9 Conclusion PART 2: PAINTING 5 A period of transition, 1580-1610 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Expansion of the art market 5.3 Spatial clustering and the impact of immigration 5.4 Measuring artistic prominence 5.5 Styles and genres 5.6 Conclusion 6 A new growth dynamic, 1610-1650 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Golden Age painting 6.3 From artistic novelties to product and process innovations 6.4 Competition: quantity and quality 6.5 Specialisation and product variants 6.6 Geography of production 6.7 Local schools of painting? 6.8 Market organisation 6.9 Conclusion 7 Transformation of the art market, 1650-1800 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Artistic decline and the art-historical bias 7.3 Substitute forms of interior decoration 7.4 Internationalisation and a lively second hand market 7.5 Quality uncertainty and creative (re)production 7.6 Occupational and social differentiation 7.7 Academies 7.8 Geography 7.9 Conclusion 8 Conclusion 8.1 Summary of the research 8.2 Early modern Dutch cultural industries 8.3 Industrial life cycles of early modern Dutch cultural industries 8.4 Spatial clustering as an explanatory framework 8.5 Dutch cultural industries from an international perspective Summary in Dutch Acknowledgements Primary sources Selected Bibliography