Gheraert Leeu as printer of fables and animal stories

This article discusses the books with animals as protagonists, published by the Dutch printer Gheraert Leeu. It shows that these books conform by and large to a common pattern but that Leeu also experimented with content and lay out during his whole career. Some of Leeu’s books were meant for the traditional reading public but he also tried to attract new readers. Many of the novelties introduced by him may be explained by this wish to accommodate and to appeal to new readers, and to people unaccustomed to reading.