It began in the early 1970s by issuing cheap reprints of Dutch classic literary works, printed on newsprint in a tabloid newspaper format, for which it sold subscriptions to secondary schools as well as to individuals.
Bulkboek started in 1971[2] by issuing a series of reprints of famous Dutch literary works by publishers Patty Voorsmit[3] and Theo Knippenberg.
[6] In 1988 the organization founded a parallel foundation, "Bulkboeks Dag van de Literatuur", whose aim it was to start an annual day celebrating literature.
[1] In the 1990s, due to the changes in literature education and the greater availability of cheap paperbacks, the organization stopped publishing on paper.
[3] In 1988, years after leaving the company, Knippenberg began publishing a series called "Budgetboeken", which were budget-priced reprints of Dutch literary works with additional informational and educational material, including readings by the author, on cassette tapes.