Walter de Gruyter Publishers 1749 - 1999 ; [on the occasion of the Exhibition Der Verlag Walter de Gruyter, 1749 - 1999 at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Haus Unter den Linden, September 30 - November 20, 1999

A major company jubilee invites a look back to the past, and that of the publishers Walter de Gruyter is the occasion for a detailed and absorbing account of this institution's history, which has been characterised above all by frequent mergers between publishing houses. Not least of all, it recalls the significant contribution the company has made to the cultural and scholarly reputation of Berlin, its importance as a partner for Berlin University, for the Academy of Sciences, for academic institutions and ministries in Berlin; and, of course, for generations of outstanding scholars and leading personalities in contemporary history. Apart from its probably unique list of titles in print, the firm's special capital is a renown that has evolved over two centuries and an unmatched, broad-ranging profile in academic publishing, successfully adapted throughout its history to meet the needs of the times. The publishing house Walter de Gruyter assumed its present form after the First World War with the merger of five independent firms, G. J. Göschen'sche Verlagshandlung, Verlagsbuchhandlung I. Guttentag, and the publishers Georg Reimer, Karl I. Trübner and Veit & Comp. In the years that followed it expanded with the acquisition of further academic publishers. In 1971 a subsidiary was established in New York, and in 1977 and 1978 publishing companies in the Netherlands and the United States were acquired. The firm has thus become one of the most important European scholarly publishers in private hands. The spectrum ranges from the humanities and theology to linguistics, law, medicine and the natural sciences. Many famous titles have been associated with the name de Gruyter, including the Sammlung Göschen, Kürschner's German Literary Calendar and Scholars' Calendar, the Minerva Yearbook of the Learned World, Staudinger's Commentary on the Civil Code, Kluge's Etymological Dictionary of the German Language and, finally, the very widely used Clinical Dictionary, the Pschyrembel. They are all indispensable standard works in every academic library, essential for research. Foreword VII in earlier decades. Letters and documents from the publishers' archive by over 100 leading representatives of German intellectual history correspond with the literary estates or larger parts thereof that are already held by the manuscript department. Our warmest thanks are due to Walter de Gruyter for its generous benevolence.

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS is a series of books that open new perspectives in our understanding of language. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks as well as studies that provide new insights by building bridges to neighbouring fields such as neuroscience and cognitive science.

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language.

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS publishes monographs and outstanding dissertations as well as edited volumes, which provide the opportunity to address controversial topics from different empirical and theoretical viewpoints. High quality standards are ensured through anonymous reviewing.

Foreword Preface Entrepreneurial Spirit and Liberal Values. The Publisher Georg Reimer Between Classical Weimar and Popular Science. G. J. Göschen’sche Verlagshandlung Highly Regarded and Distinguished Verlag Veit & Comp. Modern and Practice-Oriented. I. Guttentag “... No mere manufacturer of books”. The Publisher Karl I. Trübner The Making of a Major Scholarly Publisher: the Vereinigung wissenschaftlicher Verleger From “Day Song” to Production Ledger. Walter de Gruyter’s Beginnings in Publishing by Kurt-Georg Cram Walter de Gruyter Weimar Republic and National Socialism Developments since 1945 Tradition and Future by Hans-Robert Cram Selected Bibliography Picture Credits Name Index This is an account of the merging of five publishers - Georg Reimer, G.G. Goschensen'sche Verlagshanlung; Veit & Comp, I Guttentag, and Karl I. Trubner - in 1919, to form Walter de Gruyter. The history goes back 250 years.