Daniel van Gaesbeeck

In 1628, Gaesbeeck's father Abraham, a pastry cook (banketbakker) in Leiden, married Anna Bulsinek, from Amsterdam. Their son Daniel was baptized in September 1634 in Leiden's Hooglandsche Kerk.

In the Short Title Catalog Netherlands (STCN), the first book that he is recorded as having printed was Pieter Cabeljauw's Stompwycker handelingen in 1655. Until 1664, he is always listed together with his brother Abraham, and from 1665 to 1675 usually with his brothers Abraham and Adriaen, sometimes as the Latin 'Gaasbeeckii'.

By 1683, Daniel was living on the east side of the Rapenburg in Leiden. The printer's mark that he used in 1684 for Leeuwenhoek's letters is on the right (click to enlarge). By 1693, he was no longer active, but by then Leeuwenhoek had long since switched to Cornelis Boutesteyn.

In 1684, Gaesbeeck took it upon himself to print six of Leeuwenhoek's letters. Because they were all separately paginated, he could bundle them in various ways. The surviving bundles have four different titles, so Dobell listed them as his #1 though #4.

The first three titles were reprinted by Boutesteyn. These four are also part of the first volume of the four-volume Werken in 1685, reprinted by Boutesteyn in 1696.

Note on 1. Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigthare geschapene waarheden.

Dobell's copy, printed by van Gaesbeeck in 1684, has Letters 32 and 33. Schierbeek's, also Gaesbeeck 1684, has Letters 32, 33, and 39. Dutch collector Bert Degenaar has a copy with Letters 32 and 39. Schierbeek has a volume of the same title, printed by Kroonevelt in 1694, that has the same letters but in different order -- 32, 39, and 33 -- and this time continuously paginated. He called it a second printing, as Kroonevelt announced on the title page: Den tweeden Druk.