Kaspar Kolk (University of Tartu Library / Tallinn University Academic Library)
The explicit evidence about the book trade in 16th-century Tallinn is scarce. The main sources referring to book trade are the inscriptions in the books, probate inventories, and brief entries in the city’s account books that are often difficult to assess. The imports of printed books in Tallinn started roughly within a decade after Gutenberg’s invention. The first importers of the books from overseas were the local wholesale merchants for whom it was a minor side activity. They probably procured books on specific requests, sometimes also maintaining a small supply of most common titles. Starting from the second quarter of the 16th century, small stocks of books began to appear in the probate inventories of retail shopkeepers. Occasionally the wandering booksellers from the southern Hanseatic area visited the city with a large supply of items. After the mid-century, the first specialized bookshops managed by resident booksellers opened in Tallinn. At least until the early 17th century, the trades of bookseller and bookbinder were sometimes performed by one person.