At the Sign of the Golden Compass: A Tale of the Printing House of Christopher Plantin in Antwerp, 1576

by Eric P. Kelly, Raymond Lufkin (Illustrator)

One of the best stories Kelly has written and an interesting picture of life in the days when printing was looked upon askance, when necromancy was only just becoming suspect, when the Spaniards hold terror over the heads of the Belgians -- and Plantin went on fearlessly daring the world to stop his printing press. A first rate adventure yarn, with a bit of romance -- and an authentic background. A book which should be valuable in its contribution to the story back of printing, as well as a good tale, well told.

194 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Eric P. Kelly, a student of Slavic culture for most of his life, wrote The Trumpeter of Krakow while teaching and studying at the University of Krakow. During five years spent in Poland he traveled with an American relief unit among the Poles who were driven out of the Ukraine in 1920, directed a supply train at the time of the war with the Soviets, and studied and visited many places in the country he came to love so well.

A newspaperman in his native Massachusetts in younger days, Mr. Kelly later wrote many magazine articles, and several books for young people. He died in 1960.

From back flap of The Trumpeter of Krakow, Simon & Schuster, 1966.

Reviews

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

1576 in Antwerp. Spain is losing its grip on Flanders, and its scattered armies haven't been paid. (Once again, we must wonder why trained armies weren't paid first throughout history. Expert killers + cranky is not a great combo.)

Christopher Plantin's printing house has work in the shop, and scholars composing and compiling new books within its walls. Meanwhile, at the docks, an English prisoner destined for the Spanish galleys escapes his chains and plunges into the river.

Through a series of fortuitous events he arrives at the Golden Compass, lands an apprenticeship and a congenial new family in another country, having fled his apprenticeship at the printing house in England where he was set up for the noose by a jealous coworker.

Is he safe in Antwerp? Is anybody safe in Antwerp in 1576?

Modern medicine was just beginning to understand the nature of disease. In the 16th century sickness was caused by humours - black, yellow, etc. People did not read because the church had a grip on printing. And everything else. Plantin had fled France as he was accused of heresy and headed for the gallows. Superstition, belief in astrology, seances were the food of the masses, and practitioners of the black arts were in the cities, plying their trade.

One of the books in the Golden Compass ready room threatens the grip those opportunitists have on an uneducated public. And our escaped apprentice is once more in peril.

I have a obsession about Plantin's history - a reader who may not feel the same way about fonts and type and the history of printing, and Plantin's magnificent role in that history - might not enjoy this book as much. It was written in 1938, and is chockablock with the stilted Gothic type-y use of language Kelly wraps the story in. (Plantin did not use that elaborate serif blackletter type, as it was harder to read, and he believed the world would benefit mightily by more people reading more.)

It's a good story, and an easy journey into the complicated world of the printed word.

[Mariangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written and fast-paced adventure, it has many similarities with The Trumpeter of Krakow, by the same author: a boy fleeing his enemies in a new city, alchimists and their magic tricks, a city fire. This time, the setting is Antwerp in the XVI century, during the mutiny of the unpaid Spanish soldiers. Overall, I liked The Trumpeter of Krakow better.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up in a Free Little Library because I saw the words Golden Compass... Well, wrong book, but it was a nice surprise. It was easier to get lost in the story than other things I've read recently.