Benziger Brothers

Under the name of Benziger today there are various companies in the book trade and publishing industry with a common origin.

  • 5.1 Overseas Development

History

The beginnings

In the 18th century the family Benziger began in central Switzerland Marie Einsiedeln pilgrimage among the many pilgrims a deal with crosses and religious souvenirs. 1792 was Johann Baptist Carl Benziger ( 1719-1802 ) through the pin Einsiedeln the right to also sell memorabilia and books. His son Franz Benziger (1758-1827), head of the monastery print shop, founded in 1798 an independent printing company. 1833 by two nephews Franz Benzigers publishing and printing companies Brothers Carl and Nicholas Benziger was founded. Carl was more of politics and literature devoted and supervised the publisher, Nicholas the technology and led the print shop where he introduced 1844 one of the first mechanized printing presses.

In the first years Benziger was mainly a picture publisher whose engravings found worldwide distribution. Then came to theological literature, especially Bible lexicons and theological devotional works. The expansion came to fiction literature, especially young people's books, took place only later.

Expansion in Switzerland and Germany

Since the 19th century the Benziger Verlag published mainly theological works, fiction and youth books. In the division of theology in particular the works of Hans Kung and Karl Rahner are emphasized. For decades Benziger was not only one of the leading Catholic publishing houses in the German-speaking area, but in 1888 also " typographers of the Holy Apostolic See ", ie printer of the Pope and the largest printing company in Switzerland.

After expansion in the United States (Ohio, 1837 and New York, 1853) and the one in German-speaking Europe was driven. Carl and Nicholas Benziger opened operations in Cologne ( 1884) and Strasbourg (1912). A bookstore in Waldshut Baden came in 1887 to do so. It was intended for further activities in the German Reich. But the First World War brought major setbacks since the Swiss company was separated from his main sales areas. The emergence of National Socialism made ​​itself felt in the long term sales of traditional denominational oriented Catholic program. Therefore, the Waldshut branch was made ​​in 1936 its managing director Alois Höner from Luzern, which continued the bookstore and was also clerk of the publisher. 1953 passed the now " St. Marie bookstore " said company to family spot, which leads them today in the second generation. After the setbacks during the First World War, the family Benziger withdrew from active publishing business.

Benziger had grown up with the pilgrimage business and lived a part of this also, among other things, the sale of memorabilia and the great Catholic bookstore front of the monastery. As 1893 Panorama " Crucifixion " was purchased by the brothers Martin, Adelrich and Karl Gyr as an additional tourist attraction for Einsiedeln, presented the Benziger Building available for this purpose, which explains the off location just by the monastery in the former printing district.

Further development and decline

Under Gustav Keckeis Benziger laid works of famous authors such as Hugo Ball, Paul Claudel, Friedrich Dürrenmatt Josef Vital Kopp. From 1972 Benziger gave together with the Evangelical Theological Publishing Zurich the ecumenically oriented religious education magazine " RL. Journal of Religion and Life Skills » out.

In the 1980s, Benziger Zurich / Einsiedeln was close to bankruptcy. 1984 invested Dieter Schaub of the German media Union ( Rhine Palatinate publisher) CHF 40 million in various projects in Switzerland, including Benziger. As a result of embezzlement by the intermediary trustee, there was a financial scandal, the rescue Benzigers burst. 1986, the publishing house was sold to the Rhine Palatinate Group in Ludwigshafen, the children's book area went to the Arena - Verlag, Würzburg;

After a gradual decline of Benziger Publishing was acquired in 1994 by Patmos publishing house. High-selling titles from the Benziger program reinforced in Patmos the areas of theology and gift book. By the end of 1995, the publishing house was established in Solothurn, where he was temporarily cared for together with the publishing of Walter Guido Elber, 1996, the return move to Zurich. 2003, the publishing activity was set under the name Benziger and the program fully integrated into that of Patmos.

Verlagsauslieferung

1985 Benziger divided from his Verlagsauslieferung and founded the Diogenes Verlag AG, the service books in Einsiedeln, which over time could take over the Verlagsauslieferung for 30 publishers and the fourth- largest Verlagsauslieferung of German Switzerland created more jobs in rural Einsiedeln. Twenty years later, the company merged with the second largest intermediate book trade company in Switzerland, the added step Verlagsauslieferung Balmer ( 90 publishers ) for Balmer Bücherdienst AG.

Publisher's own printing

In 1986, the publisher's printing press was separated from the Benziger Publishing and how it transferred into a separate public company. The company was initially operated on; without the publisher but it did not have sufficient livelihood more and was discontinued in 1995. Today, the area is overbuilt with apartments and commercial real estate; the print shop is located since 2006 in liquidation.

Verlagsbuchhandlung

The bookstore was founded in 1802 front of the monastery still exists today under the old name and is still known for its wide range of fiction and religious literature far beyond the region. In 1987, the business was taken over by at the bookseller Joe Fox and not heard since the publishing house.

Others

A side mainstay of the publishing house was the publishing of textbooks for the canton of Schwyz and some other Catholic cantons of central Switzerland. Some of these books were illustrated by the well-known wood carver Robert Wyss. In the 1970s, Benziger founded together with the Sauerland -Verlag, founded in Aarau 1807 a common Lehrmittelverlag for the cantons of Goldauer Conference: SABE ( Sauerland - Benziger ). This now belongs entirely to the Sauerland -Verlag, which in turn dissolve into the Cornelsen Publishing Group.

The Heritage Foundation Einsiedeln has the purpose of the acquisition, preservation and making available safe of Cultural District Einsiedeln, in particular the holdings of Benzigerarchivs.

Overseas Development

In the 19th century, many German and Polish Catholics emigrated to the United States of America. Benziger was at that time the largest and most prestigious printing and publishing house in Switzerland. After the existing in the New World shortage of good books and memorabilia became known, founded in 1837 Benziger Family bookstore in Ohio ( by Louis Meyer) and 1853 a branch in New York ( by JN Adelrich Benziger ). With Book Trade - covered wagons, which were traveling along the Ohio River, they brought literature, prayer books and devotional in the rural areas. From 1897 the publishing house was completely independent of the Swiss parent company.

From these humble beginnings, one of the leading Catholic publishers in America before it was taken over by Crowell Collier Macmillan (CCM ) developed in 1968. Three years later, three CCM publishers, Benziger ( Einsiedeln, 1792), Bruce (Milwaukee, 1890) and Glencoe ( Beverly Hills, 1966) were fused together. Today the company is part of Macmillan / McGraw -Hill and appear in English - and Spanish -language books to Catholic catechesis and religious education under the name of Benziger.

As part of a group restructuring Macmillan / McGraw -Hill sold in July 2007, the Benziger product line to the CFM Religion Publishing Group, a holding company, which combines a Protestant (Standard Publishing ), and a Catholic publishing house ( RCL Benziger ) under its umbrella. The combination of RCL Benziger and was reinforced in September 2007 by the incorporation of the program by Silver Burdett Ginn Religion, which was acquired by Pearson.

Authors

The following authors published among many others at Benziger in Einsiedeln. The selection is not representative, but is mainly based on the views expressed in this encyclopedia. Not listed are the old Doctor of the Church, whose works have been published here.

  • Étienne Barilier
  • Martin Roda cup
  • Ulrich Becher
  • S. Corinna Bille
  • Brantschen
  • Erika Burkart
  • Jacques Chessex
  • Mechthild Curtius
  • Walter Matthias Diggelmann
  • Aptly named Franz
  • Anna fields
  • Christoph Geiser
  • Khalil Gibran
  • René Girard
  • Herbert Haag
  • Ernst holder
  • Dag Hammarskjöld
  • Eveline Hasler
  • Jeanne Hersch
  • Margrit Irgang
  • Taikan Jyoji
  • Walther Kauer
  • Hermann Kochanek
  • Hans Küng
  • Alois Lütolf
  • Thomas Merton
  • John Henry Newman
  • Klara Obermuller
  • Seán O'Faolain
  • Karl Rahner
  • Alice Rivaz
  • Hansjörg Schneider ( playwright )
  • Otto Steiger
  • Edith Stein
  • Claudia Storz
  • Leo Tolstoy
  • Andreas Venzke
  • Walter Vogt
  • Michael Zeller
  • Yvette Z'Graggen
Bible dictionary Pearson PLC Niklaus Brantschen
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