“Our Authors”: Tauchnitz’s Acquisition Strategies from Bulwer-Lytton and Florence Marryat to Arnold Bennett

Abstract

In addition to the clever entrepreneurial exploitation of copyright developments in the nineteenth century, the various strategies for recruiting authors were a major guarantee for the long-lasting success of the Collection of British and American Authors of the Leipzig publishing house Bernhard Tauchnitz, founded in 1837. For several generations, the ingenious acquisition schemes were remarkably in tune with changing market conditions and developments in literary taste. It shaped the good and long-lasting reputation of the German publishing house among English and American authors. In this chapter, three important strategies which dominated the developments of the Collection will be outlined: the acquisition models of Personal Contact and Friendship, of Commerce and Entertainment, and the one of Literary Reputation and Professionalism. For a better understanding, case studies of renowned authors such as Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Florence Marryat, and Arnold Bennett are applied to the respective model. As a consequence, it could be claimed that Tauchnitz publishers as a great international pocket book producer not only spread classical and popular literature at affordable prices, it also shaped the literary taste and even literary practices in Europe and beyond for decades.