Tryckpressens makt och makten över tryckpressen : om tryckerietableringar i det svenska riket 1600-1650

After a century of Swedish State monopoly of printing, with only one printing office, that of the Royal Printer in Stockholm, the beginning of the 17th century marks a spread of establishments over the realm. This is a conscious change in Government media policy. Around 1650 there were nine printing shops active in Sweden, six of these in provincial towns with universities or diocesan schools, but three after fierce competition in the capital. The development, although controlled by permission, paves the way for a dynamism of the book market and the power of free print. At the end of the century 18 printers with at least 40 presses were at work in the realm.