Since its inception, the association has continuously published books and magazines.

publications

The intention of the association when it was founded in 1877 was:
publishing archive documents and manuscripts relating to the history of Antwerp
and the publishing of rare editions in facsimile.
This objective has evolved over the years

Between 1878 and 1926, 39 volumes were published in a series of archive documents and manuscripts relating to the history of Antwerp, including a biographical lexicon of Antwerp artists, the correspondence of Christoffel Plantijn, a repertoire of Antwerp printer’s marks and a study on cartography in the Netherlands on basis of the Plantin archive. Later such works would appear only sporadically.

bulletin

From 1923 the association focused on the publication of the magazine The Gulden Passer (The Golden Compasses). This new periodical was the continuation of it Bulletijn of the Maatschappij der Antwerpsche Bibliophilen, which was published from 1878 to 1886 and included book historical contributions in addition to household announcements.

The Gulden Passer was conceived as a scientific journal, devoted almost exclusively to Antwerp’s typographical past and especially to the Officina Plantiniana. The content was gradually broadened and the circle of humanists around Plantin and the Moretusses, and the book business in other centers in the south of the Netherlands were also discussed.

Presently, The Gulden Passer (The Golden Compasses) contains articles about all aspects of the printed book from the 15th to the 21st century. The journal is available in major European and North American libraries.

In 2004, the association also started a new series of publications, which appear as a result of a book history project, a conference or otherwise. Six episodes have since been published.