The plebeians of the book trade

Modern antiquarian bookshops in Hungary in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Abstract

Modern research is revealing more and more about the prominent figures of the 19th-century Hungarian book trade. In contrast, the Hungarian literature on the antiquarian book trade is almost completely neglected – the few existing publications deal only with academic antiquarian bookshops. These ‘gentlemanly’ establishments were located in the heart of the capital, had museum-quality stock and a select clientele.
However, the last two decades of the 19th century also saw the rapid proliferation of so-called modern antiquarian bookshops, which sold large quantities of new books, too. The rapid development of cultural life and cities (especially the capital) in the early 1880s led to a huge increase in the demand for books. These new businesses met this demand by selling new or second-hand books at a fraction of the retail price.
According to the rules of the Hungarian Booksellers’ Association, books could not be sold below the retail price. The owners of antiquarian bookshops were not allowed to be members of the Association (due to their lack of qualifications), but as a result, they were not subjected to these restrictions either. These firms attracted a huge crowd of customers, thus causing a significant loss of income for their ‘aristocratic’ bookseller counterparts.
The Hungarian Booksellers’ Association watched the spread of this new type of business with a reserved, contemptuous attitude. In their official newspaper, they referred to them using harsh terms such as “scoundrels”, “poachers”, “parasites”, and their disapproval often had anti-Semitic overtones.
By the early 20th century, however, when many small bookshops were already on the verge of bankruptcy, their resentment had turned to fear. Despite this, the Booksellers’ Association continued to cling to its regulations and would not listen to the few internal reformers who advocated the admission of antiquarian booksellers. So, in 1895, an alternative organisation, the Hungarian Antiquarian Booksellers Association, was set up. However, in the absence of their journal (and other manifestations), it is extremely difficult to gather information about them, their numbers and their activities. This is the gap the author attempts to address.