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Maurycy Orgelbrand

Born in Warsaw in 1826, where he died in 1904. The brother of Samuela, who like he graduated from the State Rabbinical School; as an adult, he was baptized and converted to Catholicism.

Beginning in 1853, Orgelbrand ran a publisher's bookstore in Wilno, which was immortalized by W. Syrokomla in his poem "Bookstore" ("Księgarnia"). Among other things, Orgelbrand published the second edition of Pielgrzym w Dobromilu by Princess Izabela Czartoryska, a two-volume dictionary: Slownik jezyka polskiego, known as the "Wilno" dictionary, which was published at his initiative. Maurycy Orgelbrand was involved in the struggle for independence, which meant that the wave of repression following the January Uprising in 1863 affected him as well. Forced to leave Wilno, he went to Warsaw. In 1865, he opened a bookstore, publishing house and lending library. In 1887, he sold the bookstore, keeping only the publishing house.

Orgelbrand's publications included an edition of J. Slowacki's Lilla Weneda, illustrated by M. Andriolli. During the years 1878-85, he published the weekly Tygodnik Powszechny, edited by H. Perzynski, K. J. Jasinski, and, from 1878, Orgelbrand himself was its editor. The periodical was a continuation of the Opiekun Domowy, though graphically it was much more elaborate. It was a publication about science and learning for a lay audience, and included articles on social and economic themes, items in the humanities and natural sciences, theater and art reviews, reports from Poland and abroad, poetry and stories in installments. In 1882, in an effort to keep up with the times, the magazine began to deal increasingly with industry and agriculture.
Orgelbrand was one of the moving forces behind the creation of the Publishing Company of Warsaw Booksellers, which functioned during the years 1873-1888. It included publishers such as Gebethner and Wolf, M. Glucksberg, G. K. Sennewald and E. Wende. This cooperative published Shakespeare's Dziela Dramatyczne (Dramatic Works), edited by J. I. Kraszewski, K. Hoffmanowa's Dziela, edited by N. Zmichowska, and 25 of 29 Powiesci historycznych (Historical Novels) by J. I. Kraszewski.
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