In the sixteenth century, Antwerp was an important humanist center. It was the ideal environment for printer, publisher and book seller Christophe Plantin. Through his letters he kept in touch with a variety of correspondents: members of the Spanish court, book dealers, authors such as the scholar Justus Lipsius, the mapmaker Abraham Ortelius and the botanist Carolus Clusius, as well as his own daughters.

This book offers a selection of the letters that most capture the imagination and reveal the publisher annex businessman in full action: while recruiting authors, starting up a Bible edition, solving staff problems and much more. The collection of letters thus offers more insight into Plantin's personal life as well as into the sixteenth-century zeitgeist, exploring themes that are still relevant today, such as international trade, war, censorship, reputation, father-daughter relationships...