Book presentation with Christoph Links at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Library, in cooperation with the Pirckheimer Society
Friedrich Bahn Publishing House, the Mecklenburg Publishing House, Loef Verlag, or Petermänken Verlag—by the end of the GDR, there were only 78 licensed publishing houses left, even though the Soviet Military Administration had granted licenses to more than 200 publishing houses after 1945. Publishing historian and friend of Pirckheimer, Christoph Links, has researched the history of 150 vanished publishing houses and explores the question of why and how they disappeared. Were they expropriated by the state for political reasons, forced to close due to tax laws, did they relocate to the West, did they shut down of their own accord, or were they merged against their will? Underlying this is the fundamental question of what means and methods the SED leadership employed in the cultural sector, and how it eliminated intellectual and economic competition in order to create financially lucrative monopolies for its favored companies.
On June 24, starting at 7:00 p.m., Christoph Links will present his book *Verschwundene Verlage: Ein unbekanntes Kapitel ostdeutscher Kulturgeschichte (1945–1990)* at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Library and discuss some extraordinary cases. Till Schröder, editor of “Marginalien—Journal of Book Art & Bibliophilia” and vice chair of the Pirckheimer Society, will join the discussion. That evening, the State Library will display selected items from the collections of these vanished publishing houses.
A reception will follow.
Registration for this event is not required. Admission is free.
The Pirckheimer Society was founded in Berlin in 1956 by “book lovers” such as Wieland Herzfelde, Arnold Zweig, and Werner Klemke. Today, it brings together around 600 culture enthusiasts from Germany and abroad, particularly bibliophiles and collectors of prints and bookplates. The society is named after the Nuremberg humanist and book collector Willibald Pirckheimer (1470–1530). Four times a year, the Pirckheimer Society publishes “Marginalien,” the only regularly appearing bibliophile journal in Germany. The society is active locally through its regional groups. In addition to collecting and preserving “old books,” the Pirckheimer Society cultivates and supports modern book art and graphic design and collaborates with young book designers and artists.
The Günther Uecker State Library of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern traces its origins to the Ducal Government Library, founded in 1779, and, as a critical infrastructure, preserves significant historical collections as well as a large collection of works from and about Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has legally mandated the State Library in Schwerin to collect, catalog, and archive the state’s current printed works for the future. According to state law and the regulation on the deposit of printed works, all printed materials published in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern must be deposited with the State Library free of charge within one month of publication. The State Library acquires titles about Mecklenburg-Vorpommern that are published outside the state. The State Library is a department of the State Office for Culture and Historic Preservation. The historic building at its location on Johannes-Stelling-Straße is now part of the Schwerin UNESCO World Heritage Site.
