„Graži knyga yra neabejotinai meno kūrinys“: XXVII knygos mėgėjų leidybinė veikla (1930–1940)

Abstract

1930–1940 m. Kaune veikusi „XXVII knygos mėgėjų“ draugija propagavo elitinę bibliofiliją: turėjo nustatytą narių skaičių (ne daugiau kaip 27), svarbiausiu savo uždaviniu laikė numeruotų bibliofilinių leidinių leidybą (išleido 10 leidinių, tapusių pavyzdinės leidybos etalonais), estetiškos (dailiosios) knygos aktualinimą ir jos sklaidą visuomenėje. Straipsnyje nagrinėjama draugijos leidybinė veikla: finansiniai reikalai, leidinių rengimo (redakcinio darbo), gamybos (spausdinimo) ir platinimo klausimai. Atsiribojama nuo repertuaro ir leidinių meninio apipavidalinimo analizės, nes šias temas jau yra tyrę kiti mokslininkai (Vladas Žukas, Ingrida Korsakaitė). Prieita prie išvados, kad draugija veikė kaip profesionali leidykla: patys nariai gebėjo organizuoti redakcinį, gamybinį, spaustuvinį darbą, susirinkimuose kartu spręsti repertuaro formavimo klausimus. Nors tai buvo saviveiklinė organizacija, visos leidybos grandys veikė darniai – leidybinė veikla buvo grindžiama atsakingumu, reiklumu ir profesionalumu.

The XXVII Book Lovers’ Society, active in Kaunas, 1930–1940, cultivated elite bibliophilia: this organization, which had a fixed number of members (no more than 27), considered its two most important tasks to be publishing of bibliophilic publications (it published 10 publications that became standards of exemplary publishing) and promotion of the aesthetically designed book. The present article takes a look at the publishing activities of this society including financial matters, editorial process, production (printing) and distribution of the society’s publications. The article eschews an analysis of the repertoire and artistic design of publications, as these issues have already been examined by other researchers. The study is based on the archive of the XXVII Book Lovers’ Society, kept in the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (F59), and various published sources. It is concluded that the Society operated like a professional publishing house: its members could organize editorial work, production and printing themselves, and could decide collectively on the issues of developing the repertoire. The archive shows that the publishing activities of the XXVII Book Lovers’ Society were conducted making records of all financial transactions and exercising strict control over them: an audit commission would regularly check the revenue and expenditure balance. All financial matters were accounted for at annual general meetings. The publishing activities of the Society were governed by its regulations and internal rules, but much of the credit was due to the self-sacrificial enthusiasm of its members. In the general context of Lithuanian publishing of that period, the publications of the Society are outstanding by their design and content, i. e. by understanding what design matches what genre, what combinations of typeface, format, paper and other elements of design are necessary to produce a beautiful book, so that it can be described in Marija Urbšienė’s words “A beautiful book is, doubtless, a work of art”. Even though the XXVII Book Lovers were a self-regulating organization, all the elements of publishing process worked seamlessly – the publishing activities of the Society were rooted in responsibility, exacting standards and professionalism. In the summer of 1940, the activities of the Society had to stop because of the Soviet occupation, the publishing of the third volume of the Society’s chronicle was never completed.