Levy & Müller

Levy & Müller was a German book publishing house founded in Stuttgart in 1871 by Maximilian Levy and Wilhelm Müller. Initially without a fixed programmatic direction, from around 1895 it turned mainly to children's and youth literature, and between 1900 and 1945 it ranked among the leading juvenile literature publishers in the German-speaking world. Beginning around 1926 its youth book program appeared under the name "Herold-Bücher," and in 1933 the house, by then publishing only youth books, was renamed Herold-Verlag. Because of its Jewish roots, the Herold-Verlag was forcibly sold in 1936 by the owner family to the Christliches Verlagshaus in Stuttgart. The owners emigrated to the United States in 1938 and 1941. In 1944 the Herold-Verlag was almost completely destroyed by fire during a bombing raid on Stuttgart. After the war the Christliches Verlagshaus had to return the Herold-Verlag to its owners, but since they did not wish to return to Germany they sold it in 1951 to a Stuttgart lawyer, who continued to run it unchanged as a pure youth book program. In 1978 the Herold-Verlag was sold to Ravensburger Verlag Otto Maier, from where it passed in 1980 into the possession of the Schwend printing house in Fellbach near Stuttgart. In 1993 it was sold again, to the Meisinger/Middelhauve publishing group in Munich, where it survived only as one of the group's numerous labels, with books mainly for toddlers and preschool age. Books continued to appear under the Herold label until 2002. In 2004 the Munich publishing group was taken over by Beltz-Verlag of Weinheim, and since then no new books have appeared under the Herold name. The publishing house Levy & Müller gathered under its signet not only popular children's and youth authors of its time such as Tony Schumacher, Josephine Siebe (Punch and Judy books), Agnes Sapper or Erika Mann ("Stoffel flies over the sea"), but also classics such as Ludwig Bechstein, Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Charles Sealsfield or Jonathan Swift. It worked with successful illustrators such as Ernst Kutzer, Willy Planck and Carl Schmauk. Characteristic of its book design were series of editions with varying illustrations, with which successful titles were continuously adapted to the taste of the times. Genres such as girls' books, adventure books, fairy tales, World War I war books in the form of so-called "experience books," colonial stories and non-fiction books are represented in its output. Today the memory of the house is preserved in the International Youth Library (Internationale Jugendbibliothek) in Munich, where Ralf Schulze's collection comprises around 1,300 children's and young people's books published by Levy & Müller between 1894 and 1952. It is described as a unique, print-run-deep reconstruction of the book production of the Jewish publishing house whose founder was expropriated by the Nazi regime and which was destroyed in World War II.

Levy & Müller was founded in Stuttgart in 1871 by Maximilian Levy and Wilhelm Müller. At first the house had no specific programmatic direction, but from around 1895 it turned mainly to the juvenile book. Between 1900 and 1945 it was one of the leading publishers of youth literature in the German-speaking world. Beginning around 1926 the youth book program appeared under the name "Herold-Bücher." In 1933 the publishing house, which by then issued only youth books, was renamed Herold-Verlag. Because of its Jewish roots, the Herold-Verlag had to be forcibly sold by the owner family in 1936; the buyer was the Christliches Verlagshaus in Stuttgart. The owners emigrated to the United States in 1938 and 1941. In 1944 the Herold-Verlag burned almost completely during a bombing raid on Stuttgart. After the war the Christliches Verlagshaus had to return the Herold-Verlag to its owners. Since they did not wish to return to Germany, they sold the Herold-Verlag in 1951 to a Stuttgart lawyer. He continued to run the Herold-Verlag unchanged, and it remained a pure youth book program. In 1978 the Herold-Verlag was sold to Ravensburger Verlag Otto Maier, from where it passed in 1980 into the possession of the Schwend printing house in Fellbach near Stuttgart. In 1993 it was sold again, to the Meisinger/Middelhauve publishing group in Munich. There it continued to exist only as one of the group's numerous labels, with books mainly for toddlers and preschool age. Books still appeared under the Herold label until 2002. In 2004 the aforementioned Munich publishing group was taken over by Beltz-Verlag in Weinheim. Since then no new books have appeared under the name Herold. Under its signet, the publishing house Levy & Müller gathered not only popular children's and youth authors of its time such as Tony Schumacher, Josephine Siebe (Punch and Judy books), Agnes Sapper or Erika Mann ("Stoffel flies over the sea"), but also classics such as Ludwig Bechstein, Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Charles Sealsfield or Jonathan Swift. The house worked with successful illustrators such as Ernst Kutzer, Willy Planck and Carl Schmauk. Characteristic of the book design are series of editions with varying illustrations, with which successful titles were continuously adapted to the taste of the times. Genres such as girls' books, adventure books, fairy tales, World War I war books in the form of so-called "experience books," colonial stories or non-fiction books are represented in the collection. Ralf Schulze's collection at the International Youth Library comprises around 1,300 children's and young people's books published by the Stuttgart-based publishing house Levy & Müller between 1894 and 1952. It is a unique, print-run-deep reconstruction of the book production of the Jewish publishing house, whose founder was expropriated by the Nazi regime and which was destroyed in World War II.

• 2004

  The Munich publishing group is taken over by Beltz-Verlag in Weinheim; no new books appear under the Herold name thereafter.

• 2002

  Last books appear under the Herold label.

• 1993

  Sold again, to the Meisinger/Middelhauve publishing group in Munich.

• 1980

  Passes into the possession of the Schwend printing house in Fellbach near Stuttgart.

• 1978

  Sold to Ravensburger Verlag Otto Maier.

• 1951

  Sold to a Stuttgart lawyer, who continues it unchanged as a pure youth book program.

• 1944

  Herold-Verlag is almost completely destroyed by fire in a bombing raid on Stuttgart.

• 1941

  Further owners emigrate to the United States.

• 1938

  Owners emigrate to the United States.

• 1936

  Forced sale of Herold-Verlag by the Jewish owner family to the Christliches Verlagshaus in Stuttgart.

• 1933

  The house, now publishing only youth books, is renamed Herold-Verlag.

• 1926

  Youth book program begins to appear under the name "Herold-Bücher."

• 1895

  The publishing house turns mainly to juvenile literature.

• 1871

  Levy & Müller founded in Stuttgart by Maximilian Levy and Wilhelm Müller.

A leading German-language juvenile literature publisher of the early 20th century, known for illustrated edition series and a broad children's and youth book program.

• Herold-Bücher series

• Josephine Siebe's Punch and Judy books

• Erika Mann's "Stoffel flies over the sea"

• Illustrated edition series with varying illustrations

1. 1Levy & Müller Collection by Ralf Schulze - Internationale Jugendbibliothekijb.de
2. 2Levy & Müller - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
3. 3Levy & Müller - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Internationale Jugendbibliothek - Historyijb.de
5. 5Internationale Jugendbibliothek - Friends of IYLijb.de
6. 6Internationale Jugendbibliothek - Cooperation Partnersijb.de