Simon, Melinda (2024) Ranschburg Viktor, a magyar könyvkiadás európai nagykövete = Viktor Ranschburg, the European ambassador of Hungarian publishing. MAGYAR KÖNYVSZEMLE, 140 (2). pp. 181-214. ISSN 0025-0171
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Abstract
Due to its strong German roots, publishing and book trade in Hungary was in regular contact with book companies and organisations in the German-speaking part of Europe during the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries. However, there was only one person in the Hungarian book trade who held a leading position in international organisations during this period: Viktor Ranschburg. The sporadic and superficial nature of the memorials written about him made it very timely to compile a thorough biography. The author describes the high school education of Viktor Ranschburg from 1872 to 1880, and his apprenticeship at Joseph Baer & Co. in Frankfurt am Main from 1880 to 1884. His first job was at the Révai Brothers’ publishing house from 1884, then at Leó Révai’s antiquarian bookshop from 1885. From 1891 he became head of the publishing department at Athenaeum, one of Hungary’s largest publishing houses, where he achieved spectacular economic success. In 1901 he became company manager, in 1902 director and 1903 managing director. He also had a distinguished career in professional public life: he was secretary of the Hungarian Booksellers’Association from 1892 to 1900, secretary general from 1900 to 1906 and vice-president from 1906 to 1919. He and his wife had three children and lived well on the income from his many business interests. He was very active in the Masonic movement from 1900 onwards. The study also presents and analyses the studies and books written by Viktor Ranschburg in detail. From 1900 onwards, he also became very active on the international stage. He represented Hungary at the international congresses of publishers (Leipzig 1901, Milan 1906, Madrid 1908, Amsterdam 1910) and actively fought for Hungary’s accession to the Berne Copyright Convention. The most significant achievement of his professional recognition abroad was the 13th International Congress of Book Publishers, held in Budapest in 1913 at his invitation. As the highest recognition of his work, he was the elected president of the organisation from 1913 to 1921. For several reasons, he left the Athenaeum in 1919 and resigned from his leading position in the Hungarian Booksellers’Association (he stepped down from the presidency of the International Congress of Publishers in 1921 so that his person would not hinder the restarting of the organisation.) But he did not retire. In 1920 he founded a new publishing house with a very modern palette, Pantheon, which he turned into a profitable business within two years. He continued to work with tremendous energy, but his physique could no longer take the strain. He died of a serious heart condition in 1930, aged 68.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | International Publishers Association, Hungarian Booksellers’ Association, publishing and book trade in Hungary, Athenaeum publishing company, Pantheon publishing company |
Subjects: | P Language and Literature / nyelvészet és irodalom > PH Finno-Ugrian, Basque languages and literatures / finnugor és baszk nyelvek és irodalom > PH04 Hungarian language and literature / magyar nyelv és irodalom Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources / könyvtártudomány > Z278-549 Bookselling and publishing / könyvkereskedelem és -kiadás |
SWORD Depositor: | MTMT SWORD |
Depositing User: | MTMT SWORD |
Date Deposited: | 15 Oct 2024 06:46 |
Last Modified: | 15 Oct 2024 06:46 |
URI: | https://real.mtak.hu/id/eprint/207523 |
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