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Natan Glucksberg
(1780-1831; began the Glucksberg family business-booksellers, printers and publishers
in nineteenth century Warsaw.)
Beginning in 1804, Glucksberg owned a lending library specializing
in French books that he had taken over from his brother Lewin; it
existed until 1821. In 1809, he founded one of the largest bookstores in
Warsaw, on Krakowskie Przedmiescie; three years later, he moved it to
Miodowa Street, where from 1828 it was located in Tepper palace.
He was famous for his smuggling of foreign printed matter banned by
tsarist censorship into the Kingdom. He also dealt in sheet music, maps
and engravings, as well as school textbooks. He published twenty four
catalogs of his bookshop's inventory, including works in Polish, French
and German. In 1816, he became a publisher himself. In 1819, he founded a
very modern printing shop, whose equipment he imported from Leipzig and
Paris. In 1827, he also began casting fonts, which allowed other
printers in Poland to benefit from his achievements.
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He published some very significant
magazines, such as Pamiętnik Naukowy (Scientific Diary) and Gazeta
Literacka (Literary Gazette), as well as Pamiętnik Warszawski (Warsaw
Diary , from 1822). Glucksberg also published Wojciech Boguslawski's
Dzieła dramatyczne (Dramatic Works) (whose author was associated with
the Polish national theater), J. I. Kraszewski's Dzieła (Works) (18
volumes were published from 1829 to 1833), Father Jakub Wujek's
translation of the Bible [dating back to 1599 - cm], J. W. Goethe's The
Sorrows of Young Werther, works by J. U. Niemcewicz, K. Brodzinski and
major contributions to the development of Polish literature, including
Maria by A. Malczewski and Malwina by M. Wirtemberska. Beginning in
1818, he was bookseller and typographer to the Royal University of
Warsaw. In 1818, he also opened a bookstore and printing shop in
Krzemieniec-primarily serving the outstanding Krzemieniec lycée.
Natan Glucksberg was involved in social and political life, a Mason
(Northern Lodge), and considered to be one of the progressive Polish
Jews fighting for equal rights for Jews. He was buried in the Jewish
cemetery on Okopowa Street in Warsaw.
The fact that the publishing house insisted on high typographic
quality, competitive low prices and the introduction of payments to
authors led to its financial collapse. The printing shop and the
bookstore's inventory were sold after Natan Glucksberg's death in order
to cover his debts. His sons continued their father's activities.
(asw/cm)
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