The role of Jan Muszkowski in the development of the Polish book trade in the inter-war period

Jan Muszkowski, primarily known as a librarian, theoretician of book science and bibliographer, was also interested in bookselling: in its theory – with his research into book science – as well as in practical cooperation with booksellers. This article describes Jan Muszkowski’s attempts to bestow on practical bookselling a fitting importance as well as to make it a subject for theoretical considerations. It presents the programme designed by Muszkowski for a newly founded school of professional booksellers. Thanks to its incorporation into Wolna Wszechnica Polska [Free Polish University] in Łódź, the school was to educate booksellers with two-year study courses (at tertiary level, addressed mainly to contemporary and future managers and owners of bookshops) as well as with courses of professional bookselling pitched at a lower level, addressed to bookselling apprentices. The article also presents opinions about these courses as held by contemporary booksellers as well as reflections of their organizer, Muszkowski himself. In addition to the description of Muszkowski’s role in organising education for professionals, the article presents Muszkowski’s Projekt organizacji wewnętrznej stanu księgarskiego [The Project of the Book Trade Organisation], published in 1931, which was to intensify the consolidation of the bookselling profession.Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00