O zakupach książek na prowincji litewsko-białoruskiej w pierwszej połowie XIX wieku

ENVilnius was the most important publishing and book-selling center of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Own and other editions were sold in the bookstores of Vilnius; there were also regularly imported books from the Austrian and Prussian annexations and abroad. The companies of Józef Zawadzki and Teofil Glücksberg excelled in this regard. Book lovers visited the bookstores on their stay in Vilnius. Regular clients from distant towns communicated with selected booksellers by mail; they placed mail orders on the basis of catalogues. It is authenticated by the correspondence of booksellers from Vilnius with the clientele from province and the existence of bookselling catalogues in the collections of private libraries. The booksellers from Vilnius created a distribution network, reaching small towns and local fairs. Teofil Glücksberg was famous for his activity; he was a regular guest at the St. Michael fair in Nieśwież. The most influential booksellers and publishers: Zawadzki, Orgelbrand, Rafałowicz, took part in the annual June fairs in Mińsk. Not only booksellers sold their books at the fairs. The authors also had the opportunity to sell their works, which they quite frequently published with own expenditures. We still know little about the forms of bookselling trade in the province of Lithuania and Belarus in the first half of the 19th century. Scant information concern a minor typesetting of books of the company of J. Zawadzki in some cities like Brześć Litewski, Grodno, Nieśwież and Witebsk. We know about the existence of independent bookstores in Mińsk Litewski and Grodno. Apart from Grodno and its neighboring cities of the province, the lovers of literature and books of Lithuanian and Belarus land were in contact with other publishing and bookselling centers of the Russian annexation area. Inhabitants, who were more affluent, bought books during their foreign travels.