Singer and Wolfner

During the decades following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, and as a result of economic developments, limited liability publishing companies began to be formed. These became the business model for book and paper publishing in Hungary due to easier access to larger investment capital than the existing smaller businesses. The Singer and Wolfner publishing company was formed in 1885. Its founding members were Sándor Singer, and József Wolfner, who assumed the role of CEO. They changed their firm into the form of a limited liability company in 1923. Starting in 1943 it began to function as Új idők Irodalmi Intézet Részvénytársasag (New Times Literary Institute Ltd.).

Around the beginning of the twentieth century, modern and high-class bookstores began to appear in Hungary. When Singer and Wolfner's bookstore opened on the Andrassy road, the firm had been in business for almost 26 years and established itself as a major force in publishing. As a result, it had a significant advantage over the newly established stores. Singer and Wolfner publishers had moved to 16 Andrassy Rd. in 1912. The store was on the main floor which, according to contemporary sources, was the most beautiful and modern one anywhere in the (Austro-Hungarian) Monarchy.

The editorial offices, located above the bookstore, was where the popular weekly magazines, En Ujsagom (My Newspaper) and Magyar Lanyok (Hungarian Girls) were published. The interior of the business, the furniture, the giant bronze chandeliers, the painting, the displays and the facades were planned by Géza Maróti, a sculptor. The woodwork was the work of Joseph Kiss, a carpenter. The storage shelves stretched from floor to ceiling and the many outstanding creations were surprisingly well organized and easily observable.